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Catalog Data

Artist:
Cornelius de Beet, born Amsterdam, Netherlands ca. 1779-died Baltimore, MD 1840  Search this
Medium:
oil on wood
Dimensions:
19 3/4 x 24 1/8 in. (50.2 x 61.4 cm)
Type:
Painting
Date:
1824
Luce Center Label:
The fruit and flowers in this painting symbolize nature's riches. In the center of the arrangement is a melon, which has been opened and will soon decay, a reminder of the fleeting nature of life. Cornelius de Beet's paintings reward careful looking, offering up delightful surprises such as the butterfly in this work. The artist was born and studied in Amsterdam, and this painting evokes his homeland, known for its long tradition of still-life painting. The parrot tulips in this image recall the tulip mania that led many Hollanders of the seventeenth century to bankrupt themselves speculating on the sale of exotic bulbs.
Topic:
Still life\flower\tulip  Search this
Still life\fruit\grape  Search this
Still life\flower\rose  Search this
Still life\vegetable\corn  Search this
Still life\fruit\cantaloupe  Search this
Still life\fruit\peach  Search this
Still life\fruit\berry  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase
Object number:
1979.148
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department:
Painting and Sculpture
On View:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 5A
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk76520efab-017a-40a9-ab1a-6a0a48f367f5
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_1979.148