Two Persian Buttercups (<i>Ranunculus asiaticus</i>)
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Two Persian Buttercups (<i>Ranunculus asiaticus</i>)” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
This study of peonies is clearly intended for a decorative rather than a scientific purpose. Simon Verelst was a noted Dutch painter of flower pieces - decorative compositions in which the artist brought together flowers that would never bloom simultaneously in nature. To create such a composition an artist would work through the seasons to build up a collection of drawings and watercolour studies, such as this, to work from. We know that it was a widespread practice for artists to work from their own 'library' of sketches because it is sometime possible to identify a sketch with the same specimen in a finished oil painting or to find the same flower repeated in different paintings.
Read on
This study may well have been painted in England. Verelst was born in the Hague in 1644, but he came to London in 1669 and stayed until his death in 1721. At the height of his career he had a number of important patrons among the English aristocracy, and King Charles II bought several of his paintings.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 265-1876
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
