Still Life of Fruit in a Wicker Basket with Bird

This intricate still life, representative of Dutch Golden Age ideals, captures the essence of fertility, prosperity and transformation. At the heart of the composition a wicker basket is seen overflowing with fresh fruits of plums and peaches, both signs of good health and fruitful marriage, their vivid hues evoking vitality. A bird is also depicted perched on a branch of ripe cherries, a sign of wealth and fertility. Cherries in the period were commonly used in Dutch paintings as a sign of the new age of global trade and consumption, an emblem of forging luxuries while also being commonly associated with the souls of men. Other symbols in the work that allude to fertility are seen through the represented insects, the wasp as a sign of change and the moth as a symbol of transformation. Additionally, the glistening opulence of the cluster of grapes contributes to the paintings overarching message of a celebration of the fruits of life, fertility as well as health and transformation, inviting the viewers to reflect on the interplay of nature and human existence through timeless motifs.

Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen

Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen the Elder was a Flemish painter of flowers and garland paintings.

Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen the Elder was baptized in the St. James' Church in Antwerp on 8 September 1635. His father, also called Gaspar or Kasper, was a gardener who owned a house and a large garden where he grew herbs and flowers. This may explain the young Gaspar's interest in flower painting. Gaspar was registered at the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke as a pupil of the painter Cornelis Mahu in the guild year 1644-45. Five years later he was registered as a master of the Guild.

He married Catharina van Zeverdonck on 17 February 1658 with whom he had 11 children. After the death of his wife on 24 August 1674 he married Sara Catharina Raeps on 13 June 1697. At the time of his death on 16 April 1681 there were still six minor children alive: Anna Catharina, Marie Isabella, Gaspar Peeter, Maria Magdalena, Petronella and (from the second marriage) Balthasar Hyacint. Gaspar and Balthasar Hyacint became still life painters. He was a successful artist as demonstrated by the fact that his estate included six houses and valuable household effects.

His pupils were his oldest son Gaspar Peeter, Gillis Vinck the younger, Joris Carpentero, Norbertus Beeckmans, Norbertus Martini and Jacobus Seldenslach.