Fritillaires, couronne impériale dans un vase de cuivre [imperial fritillaries in a copper vase] fritillaries are bulbs which, like tulips, flower in spring. it is therefore easy to work out what time of year van gogh painted this picture. the variety which he represents is the imperial fritillary, which was grown in french and dutch gardens at the end of the 19th century. it has an orange-red flower, with a long stem from which each bulb produces between three and ten flowers. so to compose this bouquet, vincent used only one or two bulbs, placing the cut flowers in a copper vase. when he produced this painting, vincent was living in paris and was in close contact with paul signac. it is not surprising, therefore, to note that van gogh applied some of the principles of neo-impressionist painting, of which signac was one of the major figures: pointillist brushwork is used for the background and a contrast of complementary colours, blue and orange, dominates the painting. however, the.