Olomouc 1565/1566 – Frankfurt 1638

Georg Flegel was one of the most important still-life painters of the 17th century, and Germany's leading and most talented specialist in the genre. Mainly a painter of banquet pieces embellished with German gold- and silverware and Bohemian crystal, he only occasionally added flowers to his paintings.

Although born in Olomouc (now in the Czech Republic) in 1565 or 1566, he settled in Frankfurt and became a bourgeois of the city in 1597. The first mention of his name in the town's archives dates from November 14, 1594. There he met the brothers Lucas (
1535/1536–1597) and Martin (1535–1612) van Valckenborch (painters at the court of Archdukes Ernst and Matthias), who had arrived from Flanders in 1592 in search of religious tolerance. He also knew Daniel (c. 1554–1619) and Isaac Soreau (1604–after 1645) who had settled in nearby Hanau.

Georg Flegel's arrangement of individual objects and his brushstrokes are inimitable. Between 1593 and 1597, Lucas van Valckenborch and Georg Flegel worked together on large paintings. The monumental figures were painted by the Fleming, while the rich still lifes were painted by the German. Georg Flegel pursued an artistic career that places him among the greatest German masters. Elector Maximilian of Bavaria (1573–1651) and archduke Ernst of Austria (1553–1595) were his prominent patrons. He resided in Frankfurt up until his death in 1638 and had Jacob Marrel (1613/1614 – 1681) as his pupil, and most probably Pieter Binoit (c. 1589–1632).