Flowers in a Chinese porcelain vase, with butterflies and other insects
Johannes Goedaert's "Flowers in a Chinese porcelain vase, with butterflies and other insects" exemplifies the 17th century Flemish tradition of detailed still life painting, combining meticulous botanical study with decorative composition. The work celebrates the period's fascination with exotic materials and natural specimens, featuring delicate flora arranged in an ornamental Asian vessel and populated by carefully observed insects rendered with scientific precision. Goedaert's rendering demonstrates the era's blurred boundaries between artistic practice and natural history documentation, typical of Northern European painting during the Dutch Golden Age.
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Notes
LITERATURE L.J. Bol, 'Een Middelburgse Brueghelgroep, IX, Johannes Goedaert, Schilder-entomoloog', Oud Holland, LXXIV, 1959, pp. 13-14, fig. 7. L.J. Bol, Holländische Maler des 17. Jahrhunderts nahe den grossen Meistern: Landschaften und Stilleben, Braunschweig, 1969, pp. 57-60, fig. 48. I. Bergström et al., Natura in Posa: La grande stagione della natura morta Europea, Milan, 1977, p. 191, illustrated. I. Bergström et al., Die grosse Zeit des europäischen Stillebens, Stuttgart and Zürich, 1979, p. 191, illustrated. L.J. Bol, 'Goede onbekenden, IV: Schilders van bloemen met klein gedierte als bijwerk', Tableau, III, no. 1, 1980, p. 369, fig. 4. L.J. Bol, Goede Onbekenden: Hedendaagse herkenning en waardering van verscholen, voorbijgezien en onderschat talent, Utrecht, 1982, p. 32, fig. 4. L.J. Bol, 'Johannes Goedaert, Schilder-entomoloog, III', Tableau, VII, no. 4, 1985, p. 53, fig. 24. C. Grimm, Stilleben - Die niederländischen und deutschen Meister, Stuttgart and Zürich, 1988, pp. 101, 103, no. 48. S. Segal, 'Flower and Fruit Still Lifes', in A Prosperous Past: The Sumptuous Still Life in the Netherlands, 1600-1700, exhibition catalogue, Delft, Cambridge and Fort Worth, 1988, pp. 109, 112, fig. 6.7, illustrated in colour. E. Gemar-Koeltzsch, Holländische Stillebenmaler im 17. Jahrhundert, Lingen, 1995, pp. 392-393, no. 142⁄3. F.G. Meijer, 'Johannes Goedaert als tekenaar en schilder', in Johannes Goedaert: fijnschilder en entomoloog, exhibition catalogue, Middelburg, 2016, pp. 48-50, fig. 21. J. de Hond, 'Crawly Creatures: From Abhorrence to Amazement', in Crawly Creatures: Little Animals in Art and Science, exhibition catalogue, Amsterdam, 2022, pp. 21-22, fig. 13. EXHIBITED Amsterdam, Kunsthandel P. de Boer, De helsch en de fluweelen Brueghel, 10 February-26 March 1934, no. 28b. Amsterdam, Kunsthandel P. de Boer, Bloemstukken van oude meesters, 20 June-20 July 1935, no. 55. Dordrecht, Dordrechts Museum, Boom, bloem en plant: Nederlandse meesters uit vijf eeuwen, 16 July-31 August 1955, no. 50. Amsterdam, Kunsthandel K. & V. Waterman, Masters of Middelburg, 3-31 March 1984, no. 35. Delft, Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof; Cambridge, MA, Fogg Art Museum and Fort Worth, Kimbell Art Museum, De Rijkdom Verbeeld / A Prosperous Past, 1988-1989, no. 24. Osaka, Nabio Museum of Art; Tokyo, Tokyo Station Gallery and Sydney, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Flowers and Nature: Netherlandish Flower Painting of Four Centuries, 20 April-28 October 1990, no. 42. Amsterdam, Nieuwe Kerk, De tulp en de kunst, 8 October-6 November 1994. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, Crawly Creatures: Little Animals in Art and Science, 30 September 2022-15 January 2023, no. 13. Conditions of sale Brought to you by Emmanuelle Chan Co-Head, 20/21 Evening Sale ECHAN@CHRISTIES.COM +852 2978 6721
🔨 Auction Lot
20th/21st Century Evening Sale
March 27, 2026
Estimate: $3,500,000 – $5,500,000
Sold: $10,160,000
Lot 16
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