Simon Hardimé

Simon Hardimé (1672–1737) was a Flemish painter of mixed Walloon and Flemish descent. He is known for his paintings of flowers. He trained in Antwerp and later worked for a few years in the Dutch Republic. He then moved to London where he remained the rest of his life. His patrons included the bourgeoisie in Brussels and Antwerp and aristocrats in the Netherlands and England. De Crépu later fled his creditors and moved to Brussels where he died in 1689. Another pupil of de Crépu who studied at the same time as Hardimé was the still life painter Jan Baptist Bosschaert. He worked in Antwerp where he was the teacher of his brother Pieter Hardimé. He also stated that Hardimé spent much of his time drinking in taverns. This caused him to have money troubles. To escape his creditors he left Antwerp for The Hague where he stayed with his brother Pieter from 1697. He also worked for a while in Breda where he received a commission to paint a chimney piece for the palace of William III of England. The trend was initiated by contemporary Flemish artists Jan Baptist Bosschaert and Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen the Younger. The two artists often placed their flower bouquets in large stone vases or arranged them in the form of garlands around these vases or garden ornaments. In many of their compositions the vases were placed in outdoor settings with figures. This decorative style was followed not only by Simon Hardimé but also by his brother Pieter and Pieter Casteels III.

He painted the still life elements in the works of other painters such as Hendrik Herregouts.