Ludger tom Ring the Younger

Narcissi, Periwinkle and Violets in a Ewer

Ludger tom Ring the Younger
Narcissi, Periwinkle and Violets in a Ewer

On view in Room 6

This sixteenth-century bouquet is all the more exceptional since flower pieces were rarely painted before 1600. It was only in the seventeenth century that flowers became a popular subject in Dutch and Flemish painting. Ludger tom Ring’s still life anticipates this development.

A tall ewer holds a posy of narcissi, violets and periwinkle flowers. Some individual blooms and a sprig of rue lie on the table. The periwinkle flowers would originally have been a purple-blue colour, but the blue pigment has faded over the centuries leaving only the orange-brown undercoat visible.

Ludger tom Ring was the youngest member of a family of painters working in Münster. He trained with his father and spent time in Holland, Flanders and England. In 1569 he settled in Braunschweig, where he would live until his death. He primarily painted portraits, as well as a number of flower pieces.

Technical details

Ludger tom Ring the Younger
Narcissi, Periwinkle and Violets in a Ewer

On view in Room 6

Acquired by the Friends of the Mauritshuis Foundation, 2015
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Details

General information
Artist Ludger tom Ring the Younger (Münster 1522 - 1584 Braunschweig)
Title Narcissi, Periwinkle and Violets in a Ewer
Object name painting
Inventory number 1212
On view in Room 6
Material and technical details
Technique oil
Material panel
Dimensions 35 x 15.5 cm
Inscriptions
Signed on the belly of the ewer: LV[. . . .] RIN[G]
abraded
Inscription on the verso: 22
in black ink

Provenance

Private collection; sale J. Astor et al. (anonymous part) London, Sotheby’s, 12 July 1978, lot 50, for 24.000 GBP to Schünemann; Carl Schünemann, Bremen, 1978-2007; sale New York, Christie's, 19 April 2007, lot 55, for 936.000 USD; private collection, 2007-2015 (sale London, Christie’s, 2 July 2013, lot 19, unsold); sale New York, Christie’s, 28 January 2015, lot 118, for 509.000 USD; purchased by the Friends of the Mauritshuis Foundation, 2015; on long-term loan from the Friends of the Mauritshuis Foundation, since 2015