LONDON.- The National Gallery, London, has been allocated “A Still Life of Flowers in a Wan-Li Vase on a Ledge with further Flowers, Shells and a Butterfly”, 1609–10, by Ambrosius Bosschaert The Elder (1573–1621), under the Acquisition in Lieu scheme. Bosschaert is one of the first and finest Dutch flower painters. Specialising in appointing precise flower and fruit still-lifes in the manner of botanical illustrations, he grouped compositions that carefully balanced form and colour. Born in Antwerp, he moved to Middelburg where he became a member of the painters’ guild in 1593. As well as being a painter, Bosschaert also acted as a dealer, buying and selling both Dutch and foreign paintings. In 1621 he travelled to The Hague to deliver a flower vase which he had designed for the Prince of Orange’s Chamberlain, and died there that year. Bosschaert’s lush bouquets are often flanked by seashells