Otto Marseus van Schrieck – Thistles and Butterflies
Otto Marseus van Schrieck – Thistles and Butterflies
Thistles and Butterflies (Sottobosco)
Otto Marseus van Schrieck (1619/1620–1678)
Place and date of creation: Holland, c. 1670
Dimensions: height 42.8 cm, width 37 cm, rectangular format
Oil on panel
Otto Marseus van Schrieck (1619/1620–1678)
Place and date of creation: Holland, c. 1670
Dimensions: height 42.8 cm, width 37 cm, rectangular format
Oil on panel
The painting, executed in oil on a panel measuring 37 cm in width and about 43 cm in height, depicts two thistle bushes, butterflies, a bumblebee, a dragonfly, and two snails.
In the background, faint hills and clouds are visible. The dominant colours are shades of green, brown, and blue. Two thistle bushes occupy the central part of the composition, filling three-quarters of its surface. They are rendered with great precision. The thistle in the foreground has light green leaves veined with white and edged with small spines. One leaf—the lowest—has wilted, drooping toward the ground and turning brown. A drop of dew glimmers on another leaf.
Above the plant flies a butterfly, the peacock butterfly (Aglais io). With its head pointed downward, it spreads reddish-brown wings marked with light blue, black, and beige spots.
To the left of the thistle hovers a white butterfly with outspread wings. Below, perched on a wilted leaf, sits a dragonfly. Its black thorax and abdomen are covered with pale spots. The transparent wings show a delicate network of veins, painted with masterly precision.
On a leaf to the right of the thistle rests an orange butterfly. Its raised wings are mottled with irregular white and black patches.
Beneath the thistle, in the lower part of the painting, grows a cluster of mushrooms. They have light brown caps with white gills and slender white stems. The largest mushroom has toppled over, its cap lying on the ground. The entire forest floor is covered in green moss, threaded with fine white filaments.
In the lower right corner two snails crawl across the moss. One has an orange shell, the other a light brown shell with a black stripe.
To the right, farther back, grows the second thistle bush. Its stems end in white tuft-like flowers. On one of them feeds a large bumblebee, its black-and-yellow body hovering above the blossom, its head buried deep inside. Its translucent wings glimmer softly.
Between the thistle bushes lies a rectangular stone on which the artist placed his signature.
In the background stretches a deep blue sky with dark grey clouds. Gentle green hills rise in the distance.
Although the artist focuses on a small fragment of nature, realistic depiction is not his sole aim. According to some interpretations, the painting conveys symbolic messages related to faith: the thistles signify the arduous path to the Kingdom of Heaven, while the butterflies and dragonflies represent human souls ascending toward the sky.
The work is an example of sottobosco painting—a close-up view of nature that draws the viewer’s attention to small plants, fungi, insects, and other creatures living close to the forest floor. The term derives from Italian and means “undergrowth” or “forest ground.”
Audio description consultation: Adrian Wyka
Content consultation: Miłosz Kargol
In the background, faint hills and clouds are visible. The dominant colours are shades of green, brown, and blue. Two thistle bushes occupy the central part of the composition, filling three-quarters of its surface. They are rendered with great precision. The thistle in the foreground has light green leaves veined with white and edged with small spines. One leaf—the lowest—has wilted, drooping toward the ground and turning brown. A drop of dew glimmers on another leaf.
Above the plant flies a butterfly, the peacock butterfly (Aglais io). With its head pointed downward, it spreads reddish-brown wings marked with light blue, black, and beige spots.
To the left of the thistle hovers a white butterfly with outspread wings. Below, perched on a wilted leaf, sits a dragonfly. Its black thorax and abdomen are covered with pale spots. The transparent wings show a delicate network of veins, painted with masterly precision.
On a leaf to the right of the thistle rests an orange butterfly. Its raised wings are mottled with irregular white and black patches.
Beneath the thistle, in the lower part of the painting, grows a cluster of mushrooms. They have light brown caps with white gills and slender white stems. The largest mushroom has toppled over, its cap lying on the ground. The entire forest floor is covered in green moss, threaded with fine white filaments.
In the lower right corner two snails crawl across the moss. One has an orange shell, the other a light brown shell with a black stripe.
To the right, farther back, grows the second thistle bush. Its stems end in white tuft-like flowers. On one of them feeds a large bumblebee, its black-and-yellow body hovering above the blossom, its head buried deep inside. Its translucent wings glimmer softly.
Between the thistle bushes lies a rectangular stone on which the artist placed his signature.
In the background stretches a deep blue sky with dark grey clouds. Gentle green hills rise in the distance.
Although the artist focuses on a small fragment of nature, realistic depiction is not his sole aim. According to some interpretations, the painting conveys symbolic messages related to faith: the thistles signify the arduous path to the Kingdom of Heaven, while the butterflies and dragonflies represent human souls ascending toward the sky.
The work is an example of sottobosco painting—a close-up view of nature that draws the viewer’s attention to small plants, fungi, insects, and other creatures living close to the forest floor. The term derives from Italian and means “undergrowth” or “forest ground.”
Audio description consultation: Adrian Wyka
Content consultation: Miłosz Kargol