Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder
1573 – 1621
Dutch Baroque

Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, was the originator of the Bosschaert family Dynasty, and was trained in Antwerp, but moved with his family to Middleburg to escape religious persecution.

At the age of twenty one he joined the city’s Guild of St. Luke, and established himself as a prominent figure in the fashionable floral painting genre. Bosschaert became known for his harmonious compositions and the careful observation to details and skill with which he painted.  At that time Middleburg was an affluent trading town, and its citizens had developed an almost fanatical interest in botanical novelties. Only the very well to do could afford a flower piece of Bosschaert’s, as they commanded a very high price.  Paintings were sold on the open market, through dealers, or from the artist’s own studios.  Very few floral still life were actually commissioned by patrons.  

Bosschaert’s florals were exquisite, each petal of every flower and the structures of each leaf were exact and painted with scientific precision.   His work is known for the lustrous quality of the painted surfaces, a jewel-like patina which is enhanced by his often use of copper as a painting support. (Copper was often preferred over wood, as it did not warp, and the surface was extremely smooth). He is considered to be a leader and one of the greatest flower painters in the sixteenth century, producing paintings that were so perfect, that they were referred to as ‘floral portraits’.

It should also be noted that Bosschaert’s floral portraits appeared almost as though he had staged them, since many of the flowers he combined grew in different seasons. He painted from detailed studies and one could see the repetition of the same flower, leaf, or insect in more than one painting.  However this was not unusual at the time, many artists did this very thing.
His use of frontal lighting was superb; he placed warm colors in front and cooler colors in the rear, thus creating a ‘hemisphere’ which gradually rounds, known as ‘chiaroscuro of hue’. The foliage in his work is considerably darker in value than the flowers, pushing the brighter blossoms forward.
 
His painting style was similar to that of Jan Brueghel:  building up layers through sheer glazes. However, he utilized glazes more than any of his contemporaries, achieving a smooth enamel finish to the entire surface.  Bosschaert made no use of texture contrast in his work.  He is distinctive in that he painted almost exclusively flowers. 

A short history from his daughter Maria, tells us that Bosschaert did paint flowers and fruit, occasionally a basket was depicted in his compositions.  The artist's arrangements were placed in the center of the composition and the flowers positioned in an almost symmetrical display.  Bosschaert over time he developed a very distinct look by painting his background first, he then painted the edge of the flower over it which resulted in a very clean, sharp edge and crispness. Today, many decorative artists refer to the concept of 'lost and found edges' when trying to emulate this clean style of painting.

While many artists may select one topic and paint their subjects in all sorts of settings and manner, Bosschaert's floral paintings can be thought of as falling into three distinct categories which were often flowers in a container, flowers on a table, or flowers in a niche or arched window.  The artist usually created his window pieces so they looked out at peaceful landscapes settings. This was an interesting treatment as this also added greater depth to the whole composition.
Ambrosius Bosschaert had three sons, Johannes, Ambrosius and Abram.  All three became painters of fruit and flowers.  In all, he left four generations of artists, all closely related, to carry on his legacy.  His brother-in-law, Balthasar van der Ast, was among those who helped to continue the Bosschaert’s period of influence.

References.
Bouquets from the Golden Age - Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Dutch Flower Painting, Paul Taylor
Copper as Canvas - Phoenix Art Museum
A Flowery Past - Sam Segal
Flowers and Nature - Sam Segal