Bobae a collection of small beauties

In focus · no. 006

A curtain you keep wanting to pull

Adriaen van der Spelt and Frans van Mieris · Trompe-l'Oeil Still Life with a Flower Garland and a Curtain, 1658

Trompe-l'Oeil Still Life with a Flower Garland and a Curtain
drag to look closer · pinch to zoomdrag across the image · scroll to zoom

The flowers are the excuse. The painting is really about the blue curtain drawn halfway across them — a curtain that does not exist, that was never hung, that is made entirely of paint pretending to be silk pretending to hide a painting.

Read the full note

From the archive

See all 7
  1. Detail of Leather journal no. 001 Nobody was a better listener object
  2. Detail of A top-handle bag no. 007 The clasp that asks to be pressed fashion
  3. Detail of Still Life no. 005 The window hiding in a wine glass painting
  4. Detail of Veil of Point de Gaze needle lace no. 004 A net knotted from nothing but thread textile
  5. Detail of For Sunday's Dinner no. 003 The dignity of a plucked bird painting