Antoine Monnoyer (Parigi 1671 - Paris Saint Germain-en-Laye 1747)
Natura morta floreale in un vaso di vetro
Antoine Monnoyer, the Younger
(Paris 1671 - Paris Saint Germain-en-Laye 1747)
(Paris 1671 - Paris Saint Germain-en-Laye 1747)
Floral still life in a glass vase
Early 18th century
Oil on canvas, 68 x 60 cm., Framed 81 x 73 cm.
Provenance: Private collection, France
Palais Dorotheum Vienna, Alte Meister (15.12.2020): https://www.dorotheum.com/it/l/7011835/
Attribution confirmed orally by Professor Fred Meijer (Amsterdam).
The refined painting presented shows a glass vase, with a rich floral bouquet that includes roses, carnations, tulips, peonies and lilies and resting on a stone base, whose flowers, well defined and with a delicate chromatism, exhibit a significant descriptive force..
On the glass vase, through which you can see the stems immersed in water, the painter demonstrates his extraordinary ability to reproduce the glass reflections and the various luminous touches, which are able to masterfully convey the sense of form and material consistency.
The work is attributed to the hand of Antoine Monnoyer, one of the greatest flower painters in the first half of the 18th century, recognizable for the elegant structure of the composition combined with the characteristic freshness and brilliance of the colors.
The painting seems to be pervaded by a soft sensuality given by the sinuous movement of the flowers, linked together in a sort of melody that unites them in a wider breath of Baroque taste. The counterpoint of the chromatic range accords the soft pinks of the peonies to the delicate blues of the anemones and the flowers that emerge from the dark background, up to the bright red of the flower that gives the composition a masterful and final lyrical touch.
The authorship of this still life referring to Monnoyer, confirmed orally by Professor Fred Meijer, is confirmed by stylistic parallels with other documented works by the artist; by way of example, by analogy of pictorial and compositional characteristics, the work passed on the antiques market and can be consulted at the following link.
After a probable training in London in the atelier of his father, Jean Baptiste, Antoine went to France, in Paris, collaborating on the decorations of the new royal apartment at the Grand Trianon on the vault of the royal chapel in Versailles. At the height of his success he left France for a study trip to Rome and then began a career that will touch various European courts, with long stays in England, especially in London.
The canvas, datable between the first and second decade of the eighteenth century, belongs to the series of flower bouquets collected in a vase, placed on a stone surface, often protruding, a subject that the artist produced throughout his career.
The painting is in excellent condition and is accompanied by a beautiful carved and gilded frame, not contemporary to the canvas.
The work, like all our objects, is sold with a certificate of photographic authenticity in accordance with the law.
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