Vicomtesse Iphigénie Decaux, née Milet de Mureau

From whom acquired by the present owner in 2002.

This refined and sensitively painted still life on marble is an extremely rare work by Vicomtesse Iphigénie Decaux, née Milet-Mureau. Born in Toulon in 1780, the daughter of General Louis Marie de Milet de Mureau (1756–1825), she trained in Paris with Jan Frans van Dael (1764–1840), one of the most celebrated flower painters of the period, and alongside Christiaen van Pol (1752–1813). For examples of works by both these artists please refer to lots 39–41 and 43. At a time when male artists dominated the artistic scene, Iphigénie stood out for her elegant arrangements of fruits and flowers, regularly exhibiting at the Salon in 1808, 1812 and 1819.

This relatively early work is an elegant example of the still-life tradition, which was revived with a high degree of refinement during the French Empire, by the hand of one of its most exquisite interpreters. Set against a smooth marble background, two bunches of grapes of contrasting colour are depicted hanging off a hook, their soft shadows skillfully heightening the trompe l’œil effect of the composition.

The inscription lower right ‘an 12’ refers to the French Republican calendar, indicating that this work was painted towards the end of 1803, after the 24^th of September.