Van Brueghel Silk Habotai Scarf

DESIGNER'S NOTES

This Fox & Chave silk habotai scarf features a floral design after a still life work entitled Flowers in a Wooden Vessel (1605-06) by the flemish painter Jan Brueghel the Elder, the son of the Renaissance painter Pieter Brueghel the Elder.

The painting exemplifies the Flemish fascination with naturalistic detail and scientific observation during the early 17th century. A pioneer of floral still lifes, Brueghel meticulously arranged over a hundred botanically accurate blooms, many of which could never bloom simultaneously, emphasising artifice and divine creation rather than realism.

The wooden vessel anchors the composition in rustic domesticity, yet the painting is a marvel of precision and symbolism, evoking themes of transience and spiritual contemplation. This work helped elevate the still life genre and reflects the intersection of art, horticulture, and collecting culture in the Low Countries.

COLOURS

STYLING

A Fox & Chave habotai silk scarf can be worn with the classic knot style or a pussycat bow. You can even create a shawl effect by knotting two scarves together behind your neck and allowing them to drape over your shoulders. More scarf styling ideas are available in this wonderful How to Tie a Scarf book.