Study of Butterflies and Other Insects with a Sprig of Apple Blossom

1659 · Private collection

study

Jan van Kessel's intimate cabinet paintings, which manage to combine an intense observation of natural history with an attractive design, have always been among the most prized of his works. He started painting them in the first half of the 1650s, and continued painting these subjects well into the 1660s. The majority of them were painted on copper, the smooth surface of which was better suited to his meticulous and detailed finish.

About the Artist

Jan van, I Kessel

1626 – 1679

Flemish still-life and flower painter active in Antwerp, where he became a Guild member in 1645. He continued the traditions of his grandfather, Jan "Velvet" Brueghel, and was also influenced by Daniel Seghers. Jan van Kessel painted many animals (especially insects), garlands and bouquets of flowers, as well as some mythological scenes. His choice of subject leaned towards those which included animals and plants; for example, he painted Noah's Ark. He is best known for small, jewel-like pictures, often on copper, of insects or shells against a light background, executed with strong colour and great exactitude. Good examples of his prolific output are in Oxford (Ashmolean), Cambridge (Fitzwilliam), and Madrid (Prado).

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