Jean-Michel Picart

Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 11 December 1985, lot 80 (as by Jean-Baptiste monnoyer), to Citibank;
Anonymous sale, New York, Christie's, 11 January 1989, lot 159 (as by Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer);
Private Collection, New York;
By whom anonymously sold, New York, Sotheby's, 28 January 2000, lot 139;
There purchased by the present collector.

For a high resolution digital image, please refer to the online catalogue at Sothebys.com or contact a member of the Old Master Paintings department. The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work has not been recently cleaned, but looks presentable nonetheless. The canvas has a 20th century glue lining. The paint layer is freshly varnished. There seems to be a fair amount of restoration running down the right side, and in other areas of the background above and to the left of the still life. Within the still life itself, there is very little retouching to the flowers, and it seems to be the darkest colors here and across the bottom edge that have attracted retouches. Therefore, although the background has suffered, particularly on the right side, the condition and the quality of the floral arrangement are extremely good, and this is a picture which will certainly respond to cleaning. However, it could also be hung in its current condition.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Though previously attributed to Monnoyer, the present painting has been identified as a typical work by Jean-Michel Picart. Picart was a Flemish painter who moved to Paris, settling in the Saint-Germain-des-Près area, sometime around 1638, and established a lucrative career painting mostly flower and some fruit still lifes. His still lifes were widely collected during the second half of the seventeenth century; at least seven of his paintings hung at Versailles and another eight at the Château de Marly. With this extraordinary level of royal patronage in mind it is none too surprising that, in his 1666-8 treatise Entretiens sur les vies et sur les ouvrages des plus excellents peintres..., André Félibien placed Picart's name amongst those of the greatest ancient and modern painters.