Francesco Mantovano

Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 11 December 1992, lot 347 (as Bartolomé Pérez), where unsold;

With Richard Green, London (as Bartolomé Pérez);

From whom acquired by the present owner.

Although previously attributed to Madrid painter Bartolomé Pérez (1634–1693), this bright and vibrant floral still life is now understood to be the work of the Italian painter Francesco Caldei called Francesco Mantovano (1587/88–1674). Mantovano's still lifes are noted for their use of intense, rich colouring and paper-like approach to flowers and petals, elements which are found in abundance in this example. The sculpted vase in this painting appears in several still lifes of the period, suggesting that a number of artists made use of a common source for this decorative feature.¹

We are grateful to Alberto Crispo for endorsing the attribution to Francesco Mantovano on the basis of digital images.

¹ For a repetition of this vase in a large-scale work by Mantovano see Sotheby's, London, 7 July 2011, lot 219. Another near identical vase is found in a still life attributed to Bartolomé Pérez, which was sold from an Important Private Spanish Collection, Christie's, London, 2 November 2016, lot 73 (as attributed to Bartolomé Pérez ).