Still Life with Bubbles

The Dutch still lifes during the seventeenth century Golden Age was known for its beautiful floral arrangements. Gardening and the breeding of beautiful hybrids satisfied the Dutch interest in art and in science. Exotic flowers also indicated their far-flung explorations and their expertise in botany. Many of the flower species in such arrangements could not possibly bloom at the same season and had emblematic meanings; for instance, purity, divine love and devotion. Bubbles also often featured in Dutch still lifes. Delicately held together by a thin, soapy film and on the brink of rupture, bubbles, like flowers, playfully remind us that life is fleeting and transient, bestowing a sense of lightness, innocence and freedom.