Jan Brueghel the Elder, Flowers in a Wanli Vase, 1610/1615. Oil on panel, 42 x 34.5 cm, Mauritshuis, Netherlands.

Jan Brueghel I painted with such precision that he was called the Velvet Brueghel. He was the first Flemish artist to paint flower still-lifes, achieving great success with them. This small bouquet of mainly roses and tulips stands in a special Chinese porcelain vase: a kendi, or Chinese water bottle. Brueghel placed it in front of a dark background, against which the roses, narcissi and flamed tulips stand out very well.