Pendant of paintings

Still life of flowers

Still life of flowers and fruit

Oil on canvas, 52 x 78 cm

with antique frames cm. 60 x 87

Provenance: Private Collection, Milan

The pendant of still lifes of flowers and fruit presented here can be traced back to the catalog of the Milanese painter Francesca Volò Smiller, known as Vincenzina (Milan, 1657 - 1700), a refined specialist in this pictorial genre, and an important exponent of the most numerous and prolific family of painters seventeenth century Milanese; The founder of this "family business" of the highest level and equally successful was his father, the Italianized Frenchman Vincenzo Volò, known as Vincenzino dei Fiori (1601-1671), who in addition to Francesca hired his brother Giuseppe Volò in the shop (also nicknamed he "Vicenzino") and his sister Margherita Volò Caffi.

In her works the painter shows obvious similarities with the painting of the brothers, with Margherita in particular, but also specific and autonomous characteristics. Francesca's painting is characterized by a very high executive quality, by the yield of flowers and fruit through an intense and heartfelt naturalism, with a prevalence of acidulous and cold colors lit by touches of deep red and illuminated by the wise use of white; Like Margherita, Francesca has cut flowers or plants arranged in pots whose colors (pink, white and yellow favored) emerge from the dark background outdoors and with great freedom. The flowers of Francesca Vincenzina, sometimes accompanied by fruit or vegetables, stand out for their precise definition, for a soft and pasty material and for an expressive freedom that instead one finds it hard to find in his brother Giuseppe, who in his paintings shows instead of preferring a construction of the most logical and articulated scene, while her sister Margherita moves away from descriptive naturalism for a more evocative action, with a lighter and more prone to rococo taste.

During her career as a painter, thanks to her ability to immortalize trophies of flowers and fruit, she earned the title of "virtuoso Milanese painter", attributed to her by the Academy of San Luca who wanted her - although she was a woman - among her members . The artist's activity took place in Milan for at least two decades, enjoying widespread success among Milanese collectors, as indicated by the inventory citations.

The work is sold with a certificate of photographic authenticity in accordance with the law (FIMA ITALIA - CINOA).

For further information, please contact us.