Ancient painting depicting an opulent floral still life trophy, with vase, garland of flowers and three angels

Oil painting on canvas, 122 x 97 cm

complete with antique frame 157 x 127 cm.

Work accompanied by expertise of Prof Giancarlo Sestieri (Rome), and by certificate of guarantee and authenticity (FIMA ITALIA - CINOA).

This magnificent canvas, large in size, depicts a sumptuous floral composition held up by prosperous winged angels. The floral trophy, emerging from a strigilated vase, is in turn grafted to the upper part on a volute base, adorned with twigs of flowers and some fruits.

The work, which presented an old attribution to Franz Werner von Tamm (1658-1724), was examined by Professor Giancarlo Sestieri, who considered instead adding it to the catalog of the Flemish Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen the Younger (Antwerp, 1664 - 1730) , one of the leading Dutch painters of still life flowers between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

Whimsical artist with fervid imagination, Verbruggen II treated flowers with a surprising thematic variety, ranging from the classic 'garlands' and 'flower vases' to more personalized inventions, such as the canvas under examination.

In his compositions he often gave ample space to accompanying figures: in our case two cherubs sitting precariously on the sides of the vase, pointing him to the onlookers, while a third half-hidden angel, with one hand holding up the companion on the left and with the other the vase .

Sometimes the Verbruggen atelier relied on collaboration for their inclusion in the composition to specialized artists, such as Jacob Melchior van Herck (1691-1735), Mattheus Terwesten (1670–1757), or Peter Ykens (Antwerp 1648 - 1695 ), with which he created 'Goivane woman who adorns a flowering vase', a work that shows close affinities with ours (see details).

Looking at the composition, one is surprised both by its illustrative monumentality and by the descriptive opulence of the corollas, as well as the elegance of the pictorial touches.

For more information, you are welcome to contact us.