Son of the painter Willem van Verendael, Nicolaes was born in Antwerp, where he became a member of the Painter’s guild in 1657.
He was the most distinguished native-born Flemish flower painter in the second half of the 17th century, and his works were noted for their painstaking attention to detail. According to Weyerman, his 18th century biographer, van Verendael sometimes took more than four days to finish a single flower. He was much influenced by the flower painter Daniel Seghers.
Almost all van Verendael’s paintings are flower still lifes, which are easily recognised by the distinctive texture with which he renders petals, painted in dazzling colours, often with bold impasto. Some blossoms, such as the Rose of Sharon, appear in almost all of his floral still lifes.
His paintings are a cross between the traditional still life and the floral garland, a typical Flemish genre that also appears in van Verendael’s oeuvre.
