Floral Still Life

Spaendonck’s floral still life contains the contemporary characteristic elements of this genre: a slightly slanting table-top of stone bears a bowl with plain, gilded decoration, which is filled with a luxuriant abundance of rose blossoms,dahlias, campanulas, primroses, forget-me-nots, cornflowers, larkspurs and many other sorts of flowers. The still life is enriched with a goldfinch, pecking ata cherry, and the nest filled with some eggs. It is unusual to find so many different flowers combined in a still life.

Spaendonck was a much sought-after specialist in this field and worked for Louis XVI as court miniaturist in Paris. Another refined aspect of this miniature is its simple frame: in front of the black background,the paints applied in the impasto technique shine as though the flowers themselves were the source of light.

D. O.