(Vienna 1820–1888)
Still life with roses and a Madonna, oil on canvas, 61 x 48 cm, framed, (Rei)

Provenance:
Direct family ownership

Compare:
Exhibition catalogue “Ein Blumenstrauß für Waldmüller. Stilleben Ferdinand Georg Waldmüllers und seiner Zeit”, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, 10 March – 31 May 1993, p. 132

As a result of an emerging interest in botanical accuracy, Biedermeier flower painting enjoyed a period of great popularity. In Vienna, the trend to paint as much as possible from nature was further encouraged by the Porcelain Manufactory, directed by Johann Baptist Drechsler. Yet another impulse for the development of this genre came from the creation of a specific course in flower painting at the Academy. Flower painters found their models amongst their Netherlandish predecessors, such as Rachel Ruysch and Jan van Huysum. Between the Academy and the Porcelain Manufactory there was a lively exchange. The characteristics of Jenny Fischer’s style suggest that she may have received private tuition from Friedrich Georg Walmüller, since women were denied access to the Academy. Indeed, both the painting technique and approach to composition in her bouquets of flowers are strongly reminiscent of Waldmüller. Fischer exhibited regularly at the Academy in St. Anna from 1840 onwards. The pieces she contributed were mostly bouquets of flowers or fruit still lifes. Both the accuracy and pictorial treatment of the surface display the characteristics of an academic training.