Simon Hardimé

He became in 1684 a pupil of Jan Baptist de Crépu, a flower and fruit painter who was also of Walloon descent.

De Crépu was originally an officer in the Spanish service who had only become a painter later in life when he settled in Antwerp.

[5] Another pupil of de Crépu who studied at the same time as Hardimé was the still life painter Jan Baptist Bosschaert.

He also worked for a while in Breda where he received a commission to paint a chimney piece for the palace of William III of England.

This is in line with trends in Flemish still life painting at the end of the 17th century and shows the influence of the French artist Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer, who worked for King Louis XIV of France.

[8][9] The trend was initiated by contemporary Flemish artists Jan Baptist Bosschaert and Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen the Younger.

Still life of roses, variegated tulips and other flowers in a sculpted vase
Wicker basket with roses, tulips, hyacinths and other flowers, on a wooden ledge
Still life of roses and other flowers in a basket on a stone ledge