A still life with flowers on a table - Frans Ykens

FRANS YKENS
Antwerp 1601 - Brussels 1693
“A still life with flowers on a table”
Oil on panel
Signed and dated lower right: “Frances Ykens fecit”
Dimensions: 50 x 38 cm, 64 x 52 cm (framed)
Also on the RKD: https://rkd.nl/images/65776
Provenance:
Collection William James Harris, 6th Count of Malmesbury (1907 - 2000)
London, Christie’s, 1985 n. 17
London, Christie’s, 1986, n. 21

THE ARTIST
Frans Ykens was a prolific and respected Flemish still life painter, active in Antwerp and later Brussels. He specialized in flower and fruit pieces but also produced ontbijtjes (breakfast pieces), pronkstillevens (sumptuous still lifes), and larger compositions featuring game or marine life.
Ykens’ dated works span from 1635 to 1663, mostly from his Antwerp period. He was deeply influenced by the floral arrangements of Daniel Seghers and Jan Philip van Thielen, as well as the earlier pioneers of fruit and flower still life such as Osias Beert and Jacob van Hulsdonck. His compositions often balance refined naturalism with symbolic undertones—particularly in vanitas themes where objects like wilting flowers, fallen petals, or insects hint at life's impermanence.
Throughout his career, Ykens demonstrated a remarkable versatility in both format and subject, adapting his work to evolving tastes and artistic circles. His output was widely collected, and many of his works remained in prominent European collections well into the 19th and 20th centuries.
THE ARTWORK
This intimate and meticulously rendered flower piece captures a lavish bouquet in a delicate glass vase, placed on a plain wooden tabletop. The arrangement includes tulips, carnations, roses, daffodils, ranunculus, and irises—varied in form, hue, and seasonal bloom. Scattered petals and two butterflies subtly evoke the fragility of life and the passing of time, aligning the painting with the vanitas tradition.
While composed as a seemingly natural bouquet, the flowers depicted do not bloom simultaneously in nature. This imaginative assembly allowed Ykens to demonstrate both his botanical knowledge and painterly virtuosity. The dark background sets the vivid blossoms in striking relief, highlighting their textures and vibrant colors with luminous clarity. The glass vase, a hallmark of Flemish still-life painting, reflects light and distorts stems in a way that showcases the artist's technical skill.
The panel's compact scale suggests it was intended for private enjoyment, possibly for a collector attuned to both the aesthetic pleasure and symbolic depth of floral still lifes.