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Peapods and Insects
ca. 1650
Artwork Viewer
The Antwerp-born painter Jan van Kessel the Elder specialized in meticulously
detailed renderings of insects, plants, and flowers sought after by collectors
interested in natural history and works of art that rivaled nature’s creations.
Painted on a thin sheet of copper to achieve a jewel-like smooth surface, this
miniature study of insects and peapods reflects Van Kessel’s scrutiny of each
specimen’s distinctive characteristics, in the spirit of scientific discovery
that flourished in the seventeenth century. This type of panel sometimes
decorated cabinets used to display rarities extracted from Asia, Africa, and
the Americas and marketed to European elites.
- Artist
- Jan van Kessel the Elder (1626-1679)
- Title
- Peapods and Insects
- Date
- ca. 1650
- Place of Creation
- Flanders
- Object Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on copper
- Dimensions
- 5 3/8 x 7 1/2 in. (13.7 x 19.1 cm) Framed: 9 7/8 x 11 3/4 in. (25.083 x 29.845 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Rheem
- Accession Number
- 58.42.2
