William Van Aelst (1626-1683) Dutch Master, Born in Delft, Netherlands. Raised by his uncle, the still-life painter Evert van Aelst, Willem was accepted into the Brotherhood of Saint-Luc, Master Painters, in 1643 and went to live in France two years later, for four years.

In 1649 he traveled to Florence where his paintings were acquired by the Medicis Cosimo III and Leopoldo, his success was considerable. A craftsman of extraordinary skill, Van Aelst painted the sorts of objects customary among his fellow still-life producers: flowers in ornate, precious vases, and ripe fruit. He was so much in demand that he was hard pressed to satisfy the demands on his talent. The Italians named him Guillielmo D’Olanda, and he made it a habit to sign his first name as Guillielmo. His paintings may be seen all throughout Europe in the finest Museums in Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels and of course Italy and France – Louvre.