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Book cover of Forever Flowers: Mastery and Meaning of Flower Paintings in the Low Countries (1600-1700); featuring a vase of flowers. Published by Hannibal Books.
Book cover of Forever Flowers: Mastery and Meaning of Flower Paintings in the Low Countries (1600-1700); featuring a vase of flowers. Published by Hannibal Books.
Book cover of Forever Flowers: Mastery and Meaning of Flower Paintings in the Low Countries (1600-1700); featuring a vase of flowers. Published by Hannibal Books.
Book cover of Forever Flowers: Mastery and Meaning of Flower Paintings in the Low Countries (1600-1700); featuring a vase of flowers. Published by Hannibal Books.
Book cover of Forever Flowers: Mastery and Meaning of Flower Paintings in the Low Countries (1600-1700); featuring a vase of flowers. Published by Hannibal Books.
Book cover of Forever Flowers: Mastery and Meaning of Flower Paintings in the Low Countries (1600-1700); featuring a vase of flowers. Published by Hannibal Books.
Book cover of Forever Flowers: Mastery and Meaning of Flower Paintings in the Low Countries (1600-1700); featuring a vase of flowers. Published by Hannibal Books.
Book cover of Forever Flowers: Mastery and Meaning of Flower Paintings in the Low Countries (1600-1700); featuring a vase of flowers. Published by Hannibal Books.

Forever Flowers

Mastery and Meaning of Flower Paintings in the Low Countries (1600-1700)

By (author) Sven Van Dorst

£55.00

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  • Fresh Perspective on Flemish Flower Still Lifes: Explores the artistry of flower paintings from the early modern period (1600-1700) through eight exquisite works from The Phoebus Foundation
  • Unique Authorial Expertise: Written by Sven Van Dorst, a restorer and conservation expert, offering a rare combination of technical and artistic insight
  • Material-Technical Research: Delves into the craftsmanship and knowledge behind the creation of these masterpieces through hands-on experiments and analysis
  • Rich, Intriguing Stories: Illuminates the religious symbolism of flowers, the exotic species depicted, international trade connections, and even the use of real butterfly wings in art
  • Unveiling New Discoveries: Presents previously unknown aspects of flower still lifes, offering groundbreaking insights for art lovers and scholars alike
  • Comprehensive Exploration: Combines art history, technical research, and storytelling to invite readers to view this genre with a fresh lens
  • This book is published on the occasion of the exhibition ‘Garden of Delights. The Seventeenth Century in Bloom.’ at Kadriorg Art Museum in Tallinn, on view from 30 August 2025 to 25 January 2026
Full Description

If flowers could talk…

In Forever Flowers, conservator Sven Van Dorst offers a different perspective on a vibrant genre, the seventeenth-century Flemish flower still life. His detailed exploration of eight magnificent pictures in the collection of The Phoebus Foundation is a search for the secrets that lie beneath the brushstrokes of Jan Brueghel I, Daniel Seghers, Jan Davidsz. De Heem, and their fellow flower painters. 

With the latest in modern analysis and imaging technologies as well as reconstructions of historical techniques he penetrates the deepest layers of their works, bringing to light features not seen for nearly four hundred years. For hidden behind the apparent simplicity of a flower piece are coded meanings and astonishing painting processes.

The wealth of razor-sharp detail images in this richly illustrated book reveals many surprising inventions and discoveries about exotic flowers, butterfly wings, and… a llama. Each flower still life tells a story. Of perilous journeys, status and prestige, fear of death, love for a child, or our search for knowledge in a world that is ever-changing even as we try to hold on to it.

For flowers do talk, and through these pages you can hear them.

About the Author

Sven Van Dorst (1990) gained his master’s degree in conservation and restoration from the Royal Academy/University of Antwerp. After working at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, he completed his training at the Hamilton Kerr Institute, a department of Cambridge University. In 2016, he founded the conservation studio of The Phoebus Foundation. As head of the studio, Sven assembled a team of passionate conservators and conservation scientists who manage the Foundation’s collection on a daily basis. Among the paintings he has treated are works by masters such as Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, Anthonis Mor and Michaelina Wautier. Between 2017 and 2020, Sven led the research and restoration project of the panels of the Dymphna altarpiece by Goossen Van der Weyden. His fascination with the painting technique and materials of Baroque flower painters has already led to two editions – on Daniel Seghers and Jan Brueghel I – of the Phoebus Focus series.

Look Inside
Specifications
Publisher
Hannibal Books
ISBN
9789464941906
Published
22nd Sep 2025
Binding
Hardback
Territory
World excluding Benelux, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, and Italy
Size
290 mm x 250 mm
Pages
400 Pages
Illustrations
300 color
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