Description: Attributed to: Johann Falch

Oil on canvas, mounted on a wooden panel, each behind glass with a gilded frame.

Butterflies, lizards, snails and other animals populate these two forest floor still lifes by the Augsburg painter Johann Falch, which are characterised by an intense, almost mysterious atmosphere. The light falling from the side, which further enhances the mood of the picture, appeared increasingly in Dutch still lifes in the second half of the 17th century, as well as in forest floor still lifes. 
Created in the tradition of forest floor still lifes by Otto Marseus van Schrieck (1620-1678) and Willem van Aelst (1627-1683), these works are not to be understood as realistic depictions of reality, but rather as rich compositions that use metaphors to provide the viewer with clues about the content of the image. For example, the butterfly can be interpreted as a symbol of resurrection and the snail as a symbol of caution.
With these two paintings, the artist created works that are characterised by both a dense atmosphere and meaningful symbolism.