(France/Dutch, 1746-1822)

Bouquet of Moss Roses and an Imperial Lily , unsigned, watercolor over pencil on vellum, 18-1/4 x 15 in.; 19th century gilt wood and composition frame, 23-1/4 x 20 in.

From The Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation: "Gerard van Spaendonck (1746-1822) was born in Tilburg, Holland, and was influenced by the masters of Dutch flower painting. He apprenticed in Antwerp with Guillaume-Jacques Herreyns (1743-1827) from 1764 to 1769 and moved to Paris in 1769. By 1774 van Spaendonck was a designer for the Sevres porcelain factory, that same year he was appointed painter in miniature to King Louis XVI and became a popular instructor of the young ladies at the court of Versailles. From 1777 until his death, he exhibited at the Paris Salon and transformed the development of flower painting in France. His work was prized by collectors, such as Claude Henri Watelet (1718-1786), who helped him obtain the appointment of professeur de peintre de fleurs at the Jardin du Roi in 1780, where he contributed over 50 paintings on vellum to the collection between 1781 and 1785. Van Spaendonck was proficient in several mediums including charcoal, oil, gouache, watercolor and printmaking. In 1781 he also became a member of the l'Academie Royale (later l'Academie des Beaux-Arts) and was named conseiller in 1788. When the Jardin du Roi was reorganized in 1793 as the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, van Spaendonck was appointed professeur d'iconographie, a position that was created specifically for him. In this new post he was expected not only to continue the painting of the velins (works on vellum) but also to find and train new talent to accurately portray plant subjects. Van Spaendonck was highly respected as an artist and a teacher and had a profound effect on his many students at both the Jardin and his private studio, including Pierre-Joseph Redoute (1759-1840), who was appointed his assistant in flower painting in 1794, and Pancrace Bessa (1772-1846)."

Provenance:

Private Collection, New York, New York

lined with archival tissue, some handling grime, loose tacked to ground; frame with abrasions