Jan Frans van Dael | A STILL LIFE OF ROSES, PEONIES, AND OTHER FLOWERS ON A LEDGE

Jan Frans van Dael, a Flemish artist, was one of the most highly regarded still life painters of flowers and fruits in Paris during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The artist studied architecture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp before moving to Paris in 1786. By 1793 Van Dael was appointed the official painter to the Court and was granted residence in the Louvre. Louis XVIII (1755-1824), Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814), and Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma (1791-1847) were among his greatest patrons and each owned several of his canvases. The extent of his popularity was such that in 1825 Charles X (1757-1836) bestowed on Van Dael the medal of the National Order of the Legion of Honour.

While residing in the Louvre, Van Dael was under the guidance of his fellow countryman, Gerard van Spaendonck (1746–1822), who influenced Van Dael's still lifes for the rest of his career. Although Van Dael must have carefully studied flowers to depict them with such accuracy, the large scale of his panel and the jewel-like colors he used indicate a movement away from the scientific, and even moralizing concerns of earlier generations. In this work it is easy to see how Van Dael established himself as a leading still life painter with his elegant and sumptuous depiction of flowers. The inclusion of a landscape in the background adds a convincing impression of depth and substance to his luxurious motifs.