A Tulip, a Carnation and Roses, with Shells and Insects, on a Ledge Balthasar

van der Ast, 1630s

One of the premier still life painters in 17th-century Netherlands, Balthasar van der Ast captures the exquisiteness of a red and white striped tulip, a carnation, pink roses, and various seashells in this sensitively rendered composition. The expensive and rare tulip led to one of the first speculative market crashes in the Dutch Republic in the 1630s, while also becoming a subject of botanical fascination and study. At the same time, van der Ast’s delicate still life displays the commodities of Dutch global trade, particularly through the activities of the Dutch East India Company. The shells pictured here come from the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Caribbean Sea. They not only serve as reminders of Europeans’ rapidly expanding knowledge of the world, but also the exploitation of people and places that came through colonialism.