1019 - Christoffel van den Berghe

Christoffel van den Berghe Bouquet of flowers in a blue bulbous earthenware vase Oil on copper. 35.7 x 28.6 cm. Certificate K. Ertz, Lingen, 15.12.1996. Provenance E. Ehlers, C. G. Boerner, Leipzig, 1930 . - Private collection, Belgium, 1985. - Guttmann Galleries. - Private collection, Belgium. Van den Berghe approaches the classic motif of the floral still life with great individuality. His arrangement does not follow a strictly composed order: the individual blooms possess a striking individuality and come together to form a deliberately lively, almost haphazard composition. At the same time, the work speaks of mortality. Some of the flowers are already drooping under their own weight, whilst fallen twigs lie on the tabletop. Butterflies and a fly appear amongst the flowers, whilst a beetle moves along the base of the vase. The different stages of bloom, decay and animal life lend the still life a multi-layered vanitas dimension and make the fleeting nature of all life immediately palpable. The blue vase provides a striking counterpoint to this lively diversity. Its finely executed geometric decoration adds a clear, exquisite accent and testifies to Van den Berghe’s interest in unusual forms and surfaces. Klaus Ertz dates the work to around 1620 and places it in the context of other still lifes by the artist including the signed and dated still life from the Philadelphia Museum of Art (fig. 1, John G. Johnson Collection, inv. no. 648), and the ‘Flower Bouquet in a Hobnail Vase’ from the Hildebrandt Collection. For comparative illustrations, see the printed catalogue as well as the PDF version.