Adriean Coorte - Butterfly Paint

Donna Tart's The Goldfinch, a meticulously written novel, describes various famous painters and their paintings. For art novice like me, it is a welcoming part along with reading her main story plot.

She describes an artist whose name is Adriaen Coorte. He was a Dutch golden age painter, lived from 1665 to 1707.

Donna Tart says this painter is nature morte, meaning he and other artists left secret messages in their paintings, giving hints to the temporary nature of this existence by including a butterfly hovering over an apple that is slightly rotten or has small dark spot.

Here is a link to one painting: -
http://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adriaen_Coorte_-_Three_Medlars_with_a_Butterfly_-_WGA05210.jpg

I will write more notes on these painters.