Andrea Scacciati (Florence 1642–1710)
Flower arrangement in an embossed vase (2 of 3)
oil on canvas
cm. 130 x 90 - In antique frame 145 x 105 cm.
Work accompanied by an expert opinion from Prof. Emilio Negro
Antique frame, with defects and losses. Painting in good condition, old restorations, presence of an old surface layer of varnish, partially oxidized.
The important still life presented - of which two other examples may be available - shows a lush bouquet with numerous botanical varieties, described with attentive sensitivity thanks to a rich application of impasto and tones, collected within an embossed metal vase and resting on a square support.
Given the large size and the fact that it is part of a series, our work was certainly commissioned for the decoration of a noble palace: it was customary, in fact, in the large reception halls or in the long corridors connecting the different wings of the palaces, to adorn the most important walls with series of specially commissioned works, according to the tastes of the noble owners.
The painting, dating from the late 17th century, exhibits purely Tuscan school characteristics and is attributed to the Florentine Andrea Scacciati (Florence 1642–1710), a leading figure along with Bartolomeo Bimbi in this pictorial genre in Florence in the late Baroque period.
Andrea Scacciati is indeed considered the protagonist of the renewal of the Florentine still life in a Baroque sense in a century that constitutes the golden age of this figurative genre: during the 17th century, in fact, still life established itself as a separate genre and all its inherent potential - in terms of visual suggestion, descriptive precision, compositional skill, and symbolic density - reached an unsurpassed completion.
In the late 1960s, the author opened a workshop responsible for numerous commissions from the ruling house and various noble families. Much loved by the Medici and the most renowned Tuscan patrician families, he was the author of works of the highest stylistic quality, mainly dedicated to floral compositions, defined with skillful pictorial expertise and enhanced by exclusive chromatic effects.
His canvases were particularly requested by Grand Duchess Vittoria della Rovere and Grand Duke Cosimo III and destined for the Villa dell'Ambrogiana.
Regarding the characteristics of his style, it highlights a descriptive formula imbued with original eclecticism, mainly borrowed from the knowledge of 17th-century Flemish and Dutch paintings, and from the refinedness of Roman floral compositions by the celebrated Mario Nuzzi, better known as Mario de' Fiori.
The type of composition and the chiseled metal vase are linked to the most typical vein of the artist's late period. Numerous are the elements typical of the painter that we see again in our still life, including the almost geometric balance of the arrangement of flowers and the varied chromaticism in describing the different botanical species, created with variety and elegance, finally enhanced by the dark background.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The painting is completed by a gilded wood frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and guarantee.
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