The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired A Bouquet of  Flowers by the Flemish painter Clara Peeters. According to a news item on The Art Newspaper, the female artist was on the top of the Met’s wish list and helps fill a large gender gap in the collection.

Painted around 1612,  Peeters’ still-life depicts an opulent bouquet of flowers in a roemer glass, placed on a low stone shelf. The late spring and early summer blooms range from roses to tulips, narcissi, carnations, and irises. Fallen blossoms rest on the pitted ledge, including a sprig of forget-me-nots near the artist’s signature, a typically playful self-referential device.

See the entry in the Met’s online catalogue for further information about the new acquisition.