German painting - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 2009 - 45 Euro Cent

Born in Moravian Olomouc in 1566, Georg Flegel is considered one of the most important European still life painters of the early 17th century. He probably began his apprenticeship at the age of 14 and learned his trade in the workshop of the Flemish painter Lucas van Valckenborch, who was then working in Linz. The influence of Dutch painting soon became apparent to the young artist without him even having traveled to the Netherlands. In this Linz studio, Georg Flegel was able to specialize in painting still life paintings as an image artist by inserting flowers, fruits and vegetables in his master's large-scale table companies or in his market and garden pieces. 1592/93 Georg Flegel went with his teacher to Frankfurt am Main. Here the young artist acquired the citizenship and worked from then on as an independent painter. Still lifes were still considered to be "lesser utility art," but around 1600, demand on the art market increased enormously. Georg Flegel served a wealthy clientele. He based his selection of fruits, flowers and accessories on the tastes of his clients. Thus, his paintings also document and demonstrate the luxurious lifestyle of the merchant and citizen class in the rich fair and commercial city. The painting "still life with cherries" pictured on the stamp dates back to 1635, three years before the death of Georg Flegel in Frankfurt.