18th-Century Italian School Still Life With Flowers, Peaches & Figs

18th-Century Italian School Still Life With Flowers, Peaches & FigsAn impressive early 18th century Italian school still life with an array of flowers, peaches and figs. We imported the piece from Germany but its more representative of Italian flower painting from the period. This iconic style of still life was originally made popular by the Dutch old masters in the 17th century when many of the flowers depicted were considered highly exotic and precious. In fact, it was often cheaper to hire an artist to paint a

Could this be a commentary on the sitter’s character

Provenance: Austria

This large and impressive piece is masterfully rendered and it’s dominated by a huge pine tree rising vertically through the composition

He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen and later in Paris at the Académie Colarossi

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You can almost hear the stream as it cascades over the rocks by your feet - with two nearby chaffinches adding their own light melody

The relationship between the couple is unclear but it’s likely that they’re husband and wife

and later his partner

The painting is monogrammed in the lower left and housed within a later frame

gentle ripples illuminated by an ounce of breaking sun from behind a cloud

Langstaffe’s approach is rooted in British romanticism and stems from John Constable’s passion for the countryside

Size including frame 10½” x 8” / 27cm x 20cm