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STILL LIFE WITH FLOWERS AND CANDELABRAS BY JEAN-BAPTISTE MONNOYER
Second half of the 18th century
Oil on canvas
H : 71 in; W : 61 in
Provenance :
- Duke of Ellesmere, Bridgewater House.
- Sale Christie’s London, 18 October 1946, lot n°52.
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Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer painted pompous floral paintings, enriched with gold and silver plates or antique reliefs inspired by Italy, which were very successful in Versailles. He combined this with the detailed realism in painting flowers which characterised Flemish and Dutch paintings.
Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer also known as Le Vieux (Lille 1636- London 1699) studied in Antwerp.
Circa 1655, he came to Paris where he was soon noticed by Charles Lebrun, first painter of the King. Lebrun hired him to work on the decoration of the main royal châteaux such as Vaux-Le-Vicomte, Versailles, and Marly. As director of the Gobelins Manufacture, Lebrun also commissioned from him border drawings with floral motifs.
In 1665, he was received as a member of the Royal Academy of painting and sculpture, in the domain of floral still-life, after presentation of his reception piece (today displayed in the Musée Fabre, Montpellier).
In 1685, he followed to London Lord Montagu, British ambassador to France. Monnoyer seemed to have got a greater fame in London than in Paris, for he stayed there until his death. After decorating the residence of Lord Montagu, he painted for important personnalities, such as the queen Mary II and the queen Ann.
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