Artwork
Flower Piece with Rabit
Flower Piece with Rabit is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Franz Werner Tamm. It dates from 1700 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1700, this oil painting by Franz Werner Tamm presents a still‑life composition that brings together a European rabbit, an assortment of blossoms, and assorted fruit. The work is part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is displayed among other examples of early‑18th‑century Dutch‑influenced genre scenes.
Subject & Meaning
At the lower right, a calm rabbit emerges from a tangle of foliage, its ears alert yet its demeanor tranquil. Surrounding it are vivid roses, daisies and other flowers rendered in pink, white and blue, alongside plums and pear‑like fruits. The juxtaposition of animal and botanical elements reflects a common still‑life interest in the fleeting beauty of nature and the domestic sphere.
Technique & Style
Tamm employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, setting the lively colors against a deep, almost black background. This contrast heightens the luminosity of the petals and the glossy skin of the fruit, while the rabbit appears partially concealed within the shadows. The brushwork is detailed in the flora, yet looser in the surrounding darkness, creating a sense of depth and three‑dimensionality.
History & Provenance
The painting has remained in the public domain since its acquisition by the Statens Museum for Kunst, Denmark’s national gallery. Its attribution to Tamm, a German painter active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, is supported by stylistic analysis and archival records linking the work to his known oeuvre of still‑life subjects.
Artist & collection
