Bouquet of flowers 19th century

Oil on canvas mounted on panel, 19th century in the style of the 17th-century Dutch school, depicting a generous bouquet of flowers in a transparent vase with a peeled lemon at the base of the vase. (The peeled lemon in the 17th-century Dutch still life embodies the duality of life. A symbol of wealth and vanity, its spiralled peel represents the passage of time, while its very sour flesh reminds us that earthly pleasures, however enticing they may seem, are bitter once consumed.) Note that there are restorations on the frame.