Dutch-Flemish motifs of flowers and fruit in the 18th-Century Russian Painting: From Science and Emblems to the Image Aestheticization

Abstract

The history of Russian fruit and flower still life began in the 18th century, when Russian state’s art culture was getting closer to that of European countries, especially with the Netherlands. This article shows the evolution of Russian fruit and flower still life of the 18th century in the context of Dutch-Flemish inheritance. The major focus is made on the objective motifs of the still life and its semantics. In the works of this genre, the continuity of Dutch traditions could be traced due to “Symbols and Emblemata”, an iconological reference book published at the initiative of Peter I.