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VAN HUYSUM, Jan (Dutch, 1682-1749). A Wreath of Flowers. Watercolor over traces of black chalk on vellum. Signed in pen and grey ink lower right: "Jan Van Huysum". ca. 1730. 10" x 11 1/4" sheet, 18 1/2" x 21 1/2" framed. ---------- The best-loved and most accomplished Dutch flower artist of his time. Jan van Huysum was the true celebrity of eighteenth-century Dutch flower painting. He achieved remarkable and enduring success, while keeping his life and working methods shrouded in enticing mystery. His paintings were eagerly sought after by Royal houses and eminent collectors all over Europe, and his great popularity extended beyond his own day. When Catherine the Great sought to purchase Sir Robert Walpole’s art collection thirty years after van Huysum’s death, that great collector’s paintings by van Huysum were valued at double the price of his Rembrandts. Van Huysum was born in Amsterdam, into a family of painters. But rather than attach himself to the family studio, which turned out a steady stream of decorative flower pieces for the local market, Jan struck out on his own, attaining tremendous success, while jealously guarding his privacy. He rarely accepted pupils, concentrating exclusively on his ornate, highly detailed and remarkably realistic compositions. Jan traveled to Haarlem every summer to examine the freshest and widest array of decorative blossoms for his painstakingly faithful depictions. This elegant and lovely painting showcases van Huysum’s greatest talents.