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Simon Pietersz Verelst

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Flower still life
Prince Rupert of the Rhine

Simon Pietersz Verelst (1644–1721?) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He is known for outstanding flower and fruit still life paintings.[1]

Biography

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Verelst was born in The Hague. He was the son of Pieter Harmensz Verelst and became a pupil in the Confrerie Pictura at the same time as his brother Herman in 1663.[1] In 1668 he moved to London and on 11 April 1669 he met with Samuel Pepys. His elegant portraits became popular for a time during the 1670s among court circles.[2] He painted this portrait of Prince Rupert, son of Frederick V, Count Palatine and Elizabeth Stuart. It seems Verelst began to suffer from bouts of insanity, which was reflected in a portrait with flowers on a gigantic scale, who called himself "the God of Flowers". In 1709, according to Weyerman, he lived down the Strand, London at the art dealer William Lovejoy,[3] who had him locked up for his bouts of unbridled aggression.[4]

Family tree

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Pieter Hermansz Verelst 1618–1678
Herman Verelst 1641–1702Simon Pietersz Verelst 1644–1721?John Verelst 1648–1734
Cornelis Verelst 1667?–1734Maria Verelst 1680–1744William Verelst 1704–1752

References

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  1. ^ a b Simon Pietersz Verelst in the RKD
  2. ^ AANTEEKENINGEN OMTRENT EENIGE DORDRECHTSCHE SCHILDERS DOOR G. H. VETH. XXXIX. PIETER HERMANSZ. VERELST EN ZIJNE ZONEN (1875)
  3. ^ O° to a new Cockaigne: Dutch migrant artists in London, 1660–1715* Sander Karst
  4. ^ "A Still Life of Flowers in a glass Vase".
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