Still Life with Flowers

Artisan: Cose di un altro mondo (Mariangela Gagliardi)
Date: 2021
Inscriptions: stamped with monogram ‘MG’ (on the back)
Dimensions: 57 x 44x 4 mm; 2 ½ x 1 ¾ x ⅛ inches (height x width x depth)
Intended Room: Drawing Room
Inventory number: 2021.067
Category: Pictures

Provenance: Purchased from the artist’s Etsy shop in 2021

A miniature replica of a flower picture by the Dutch painter Balthasar van der Ast (1593/4-1657). The original, which dates to around 1623 and is one of the artist’s earliest paintings of this genre, was sold at Christie’s, London, on 8 December 2005, lot 11. The catalogue gives an exhaustive description of the objects to be found in this still life: ‘Tulips, a rose, a carnation, cyclamen, snake’s head fritillary, double columbine, rosebuds and marigolds in a blue and white gilt-mounted porcelain vase, with a Painted Lady butterfly, a lizard, grapes, cherries, plums and redcurrants on a ledge’. Quite the display!