Circle of Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer (1636 – 1699)

Circle of Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer (Lille, 1636 – London, 1699)

Vase of Flowers

Oil on canvas, 103 / 97 x 77 cm

The elaborate profile of alternating lobes of this canvas hints at the preciousness of the floral composition presented to the viewer. A raking light cuts across the marble ledge from the front, falling directly before the vase and highlighting the sharply defined flower corollas that emerge powerfully from a theatrical dark background. The fluid formal geometry that defines the flowers, arranged in a calm coloristic syntax, does not shy away from revealing the most refined species: red peonies alternate with roses, variously striped carnations, anemones with filamentous petals, and perhaps centifolia roses. It is precisely this particular variety of cut flowers, together with the solid, rhythmic plasticism of the corollas and the antique-style relief decoration on the historiated vase, that allows this artistic language to be associated with the specific culture fostered by the legacy of Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer.

Monnoyer, a Flemish painter originally from Lille, initially made a name for himself through the tapestry cartoons he designed for the Beauvais and Gobelins manufactories. He later became a protégé of Charles Le Brun, who commissioned his art to decorate the châteaus of Marly and Meudon. His fame eventually took him across the English Channel to Montagu House in London and into the service of other English landowners. Monnoyer was an eclectic and multifaceted artist; a constant feature of his still lifes was the robust solidity of the buds and corollas, much like in the present work, which defines every petal and leaf with precision.

Monnoyer’s influence spread irresistibly through his school and his various direct descendants. In this regard, the present work can be compared both to two still lifes by Monnoyer—one sold on the art market (Sotheby’s, January 9, 1980, no. 155) and another in a private collection—as well as to several paintings by Jean-Baptiste Belin de Fontenay, Monnoyer’s student and son-in-law, all of which have passed through private collections. A clear uniformity of pastel tones directs these compositions toward a soberly restrained taste, in line with the prevailing decorative intent of the era. Belin also fulfilled commissions for the royal residences of Versailles, Compiègne, Fontainebleau, Marly, and Meudon, reproducing elegant bouquets of select flowers in which beauty was supremely exalted by a quiet yet noble floral arrangement.

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