(Vienna 1756–1811) A magnificent still life of flowers in a decorative vase, signed and dated at lower left Joh. Drechsler fec. 1793, oil on canvas, 81.5 x 61.5 cm, framed

Provenance: South German private collection Exhibited: Vom Biedermeier zur Moderne, V, Eine Auswahl von Meisterwerken, Galerie Suppan, Vienna, 2005. Johann Baptist Drechsler, who started out as a flower painter for the Vienna porcelain factory in 1772, became a professor at the Vienna Academy in 1787 and in 1807 was appointed its director. He was the most important Austrian still life painter of his time and established the Viennese school of flower painting, which he influenced through his abandonment of the decorative manner of the Baroque and the adoption of a detailed, scientifically informed naturalism. He drew his inspirations from the works of such famous predecessors as Rachel Ruysch and Jan van Huysum and likewise sought to render his blossoms and leaves with their characteristic textures, while also focusing on an effective treatment of light. He managed to cause his floral arrangements to stand out brightly against a dark background through the application of subtle nuances. For his magnificent still lifes, Drechsler referred to a broad range of botanical species, such as begonias, larkspurs, roses, primroses, feathered tulips, irises, foxgloves, and poppies, as well as meadow flowers; frequently, he also depicted tendrils of blue vetch. The painter often animated his pictures with various individually patterned butterflies. Drechsler was the heir of a great tradition, which he literally encouraged to bloom.

We are grateful to Drs. Fred Meijer, Curator, Netherlands Institute for Art History, Den Haag, for identifying the present painting as autograph work of Johann Baptist Drechsler after examined it in the original.