Flower paintings made their appearance in Netherlandish art at the end of the sixteenth century, due to a growing interest in nature and, especially, in botany. The collecting and cultivating of flowers reached extraordinary proportions in Holland in the first half of the seventeenth century. This culminated in the tulip “boom” of 1633, when single tulip bulbs fetched astronomical prices, and ended in the subsequent “crash” of 1637.

The artist’s delight in picturing the material world with scientific accuracy allows us to identify the various types of flowers—roses, lilies, tulips, and forget-me-nots.