Simbolika prizora mrtvih priroda nizozemskog i flamanskog slikarstva 17. stoljeća

Although neglected at times when compared to other painting genres, Dutch and Flemish still life painting is an equally important, and even an inexhaustible source of information that today, approximately four centuries later, gives a clear idea about the society which it marked a significant rise of interest in. Starting with the overview of the development factors of this area’s still life painting, this paper clarifies what underlies the phenomenon of the increased focus on the mentioned genre with the aim of simplifying the interpretation of symbols found in the artworks of some of the most prominent representatives. While Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Jan Brueghel the Elder and Jan Davidsz. de Heem stand out as those whose paintings reflect society’s simultaneous interest in flowers and their depiction in art, achievements of the latter painter, as well as those of Clara Peeters, Pieter Claesz, Willem Claesz. Heda, Willem Kalf and Abraham van Beijeren mirror the society’s need to showcase its personal wealth on laid tables. Apart from showing the inevitable intertwinement between the painting traditions of southern and northern provinces, both cases also confirm the existence of the opulence of multiple layers of meaning and social importance of this area’s still lifes.