19th Century French Framed Oil on Board Still Life Painting After Monnoyer

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Place this antique painting in a living room, bedroom, or on an office wall. Created in France circa 1880, the … Read more Place this antique painting in a living room, bedroom, or on an office wall. Created in France circa 1880, the artwork is set in a unique octagon-shaped carved gilt frame. The piece painted on board depicts an elegant floral arrangement of bustling Dahlia flowers in a vase situated behind a bundle of apples and pears on a dark table. The portrait is masterfully executed using an obvious talent for manipulation of light and shadow, with the eye naturally drawn towards floral focal point. The colorful piece is in excellent condition with bright colors, and this portrait of the Dahlia, is in excellent condition with bright colors, and would bring a touch of Marie Antoinette’s extravagance to any home, as explained below.
Dahlias are cottage garden favorites of the French. The famous Clos du Coudray garden in the northwest of France has a large collection of Dahlias to see. Dahlia flowers symbolize beauty, commitment, and kindness. They're also tied to steadfastness, due to their ability to bloom after many other flowers have died.
In 1774, 19 years before her execution, Louis XVI gifted Marie Antoinette the Petit Trianon, a small chateau in the grounds of the palace. With the chateau, he gave her a note which read, ‘To you who love flowers so, I present this bouquet’, referencing the beautiful landscaped gardens which surrounded the charming getaway. According to historian and perfumer Elisabeth de Feydeau, the grounds of the Petit Trianon contained many plants, including one particular flower that the queen was known to love: the Dahlia. Native to Mexico, the first recorded introduction of the Dahlia to the European content was by French botanist Nicolas-Joseph Thiéry de Menonville in 1787. The flower was kept secret from the public for around a decade, but one of its first notable fans was Antoinette. As such, a variety was named after her. The Dahlia ‘Marie Antoinette’ is a showy, large-flowered single. Just like the queen, the flower makes a real impact.
Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer (12 January 1636 – 20 February 1699) was a Franco-Flemish painter who specialised in flower pieces. He was attached to the Gobelins tapestry workshops and the Beauvais tapestry workshops, too, where he produced cartoons of fruit and flowers for the tapestry-weavers, and at Beauvais was one of three painters who collaborated to produce cartoons for the suite The Emperor of China.
21"W x 27"H. See less