Bartolomeo Ligozzi (1620 - 1695) - Bouquet in a glass vase

Bartolomeo LIGOZZI  (Vérone, 1620 - Florence, 1695).
Bouquet of flowers in a glass vase.
Circa 1685-1690.
Oil on canvas.
H : 54,4 ; L : 40,3 cm.


The great nephew of the famous Jacopo Ligozzi, Bartolomeo Ligozzi was a painter of flowers best known for his work at the Medici court in Florence.
In 1660 and 1666, Cardinal Giovan Carlo de Medici commissioned Ligozzi to paint an important series of still lifes of flowers. In 1686, an inventory of the Medici collections mentions eighteen of his works in the collections of the Pitti Palace.

Bartolomeo Ligozzi was acclaimed by the young Ferdinand III de Medici as the crowning glory of the end of his career. The latter gave a still life by the artist to his future wife, Beatrice of Bavaria, on the occasion of their marriage in 1689.  The great prince also had six other paintings by Ligozzi in his Villa Pratolino, the home of his gigantic art collection.

Characteristic of Ligozzi's art, our painting of flowers can be dated to this period, i.e. to the end of the 1680s, given his technical mastery in the execution of flowers.
In particular, we find the same treatment of ranunculus, marigolds and an orange branch in a painting by the artist in the old Medici collection (Ill. 3. Still Life Museum, Poggio a Caiano). Although superior, our painting seems to be later than the latter work.
In terms of quality, it is similar to a large still life dated 1688 (ill. 4. Still Life Museum, Poggio a Caiano) and commissioned by the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Vittoria della Rovere, who installed it in the flat of her son, Francesco Maria de Medici.

List of flowers in the bouquet: Gesner tulips, lily of the valley, hyacinths, single anemone, double anemone, flowers, daffodil, orange blossom, double marigold, carnations, ranunculus.