A Quiet Observer of the Natural Order Born in Amsterdam in 1645, Nicolaes de Vree lived a life that mirrored the secluded subjects of his canvases. He was a man of few words and even fewer social engagements, a temperament that perhaps allowed him to observe the minute details of the earth with a precision others might overlook. While his contemporaries often sought the grandiosity of historical scenes, de Vree found his purpose in th…