Nicolas Baudesson

oil on canvas

Prince Vladimir Nikolaevich Argutinsky-Dolgorukov (1874-1941), Paris, circa 1921-1930;
With Galerie Au Vieux Paris, Paris, by 1930;
Where acquired by Louis Aloysius Ferguson (1867-1940), Saint Louis;
By descent to the present owner, San Mateo.

The canvas appears to be lined. A decorative image reads well, specifically the details of the flowers, though some of the paint is slightly abraded as seen with the background. There is a minor spec of loss that appears to have been filled right above the pink flower at upper left. The varnish fluoresces unevenly under UV light, though there appears to be some scattered retouching on the darker green colors of the leaves at bottom right, as well as some even smaller spots to the background, as seen close to the white flowers at top right. Further retouching might on the bottom ledge, specifically at left. The painting can hang in its present condition and is offered in a a ribbed, gilded frame with a shaped top.
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Nicolas Baudesson, who has been called "the earliest practitioner of the full-blooded 'Baroque' style of flower painting", was considered one of the best flower painters of the generation before Monnoyer.¹ He gained popularity not only in France, but also in Italy where he travelled to circa 1635. According to Florent le Comte, he studied in Italy with one of the most celebrated painters of flower-pieces at the time, Mario Nuzzi, called Mario dei Fiori.² Upon his return to France, Baudesson entered the Académie in Paris on May 26, 1671.

In this painting, Baudesson represents a variety of flowers in rhythmical unity with his play of light and shadow. The light that shines on the flowers highlights their vibrant colors in stark contrast with the dark background. The artist also deliberately saturated the vase with light, calling attention to the mythological scene that unfolds—the flaying of Marsyas from Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Bk VI: 382-400). Baudesson’s compositional format - flowers in a vase on a ledge - matches that of contemporary Dutch and Flemish artists. Notwithstanding, he sets himself apart by focusing more on the tonal harmony among the flowers than the minute details of their blooming. With his cohesive bouquets, Baudesson mastered the qualities that made floral still lives so popular during the late 17th century France. Even King Louis XIV had a number of his works at the Château de Versailles, an indication of the fame the painter achieved.

Although Baudesson did not typically sign his paintings, the depiction of the carnations on the upper left in the present painting is similar to those in the paintings Claudia Salvi illustrates as by Nicolas Baudesson in her book ‘D'après nature: La nature morte en France au XVIIème siècle’.³

We are grateful to Dr. Fred Meijer for endorsing the attribution to Nicolas Baudesson on the basis of photographs.

1. C. Wright, 'Masterpieces of reality: French 17th Century painting', exh. catalogue, Leicester, 1985, p. 45.
2. M. Faré, 'La grand siècle de la nature morte en France, le XVIIe siècle', Fribourg and Paris, 1976, p. 280.
3. C. Salvi, 'D'après nature: La nature morte en France au XVIIème siècle', Tournai, 1999, p. 124.

A note on the provenance:

This charming flower painting had two notable private collectors. The first was Prince Vladimir Nikolaevich Argutinsky-Dolgorukov (1874-1941), a renowned art collector and curator for the Hermitage Museum. Though he was from St. Petersburg, in 1921 he moved to Paris, where he acquired the present painting. The second owner was the distinguished American engineer, Louis Aloysius Ferguson (1867-1940), who worked closely with Thomas Edison in the Chicago Edison Company and the Commonwealth Edison Company, having made an important contribution to the development of low voltage distribution. Given his career, he frequented Europe, where he was able to build an attractive European art collection.