Flemish
My sister said,
“All the elements in this painting,
Still Life with Strawberries,
appear to levitate”
(by Isaak Soreau [1604–after
1638],
Flemish, early 1630’s
Gift of Mrs. Robert McKay
Cincinnati Art Museum)
DO NOT WRITE BELOW THIS LINE
__________________________________
it said on the postcard of the painting.
“I’ll tell you how to levitate
strawberries,” said my daughter.
“Hull a quart. Sprinkle them
with half a teaspoon of balsamic
vinegar and a teaspoon of
confectioner’s sugar; let them sit.”
Still Life with Strawberries, though,
isn’t a patch on his Carnations, Tulips, and Other Flowers in a Glass Vase with
Peaches, Grapes, and Plums in a Basket on a Ledge with Cherries, a Butter–
fly, and a Beetle.
Isaak Soreau was a twin, moreover,
and in 1652 his twin, Peter Soreau, painted Still Life of Apples, Black and
White Grapes and a Walnut in a Porcelain Bowl, Together with Chestnuts,
a Pear, Figs, Turnips, and a Melon, All on a Table with a Bunch of Snipes
Hanging on a Nail
(SLABWGWPBTCPFTMATBSHN). Oh Flanders! A Benelux country, a
Low Country.
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About the Author
Caroline Knox’s most recent books include Quaker Guns, He Paves the Road with Iron Bars, and A Beaker: New and Selected Poems.
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