Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer

This elaborate composition shows a bronze urn placed centrally on a stone ledge, overflowing with an abundance of different varieties of flowers. The arrangement is dominated by red and white blooms, their vibrant colours reflected in the metal surface of the urn. The painting is lit from the left with individual flowers dramatically silhouetted against the dark background.

Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer was the leading French flower painter of the seventeenth century. He was hired by Charles Le Brun, court painter to Louis XIV, to decorate several royal palaces, including the Château de Marly, near Versailles. His talents caught the attention of the English Ambassador to France, Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu, who invited Monnoyer to work for him in England. Monnoyer remained in the service of Montagu for the rest of his career, producing sumptuous decorations for his grand mansion in Bloosmbury. In London, Monnoyer was much sought after by the aristocracy and was employed by both Queen Mary II and the young Queen Anne.