(Bonn 1717-circa 1790 Cologne) A pair of still-lifes of flowers and fruit, oil on canvas, each 43 x 54 cm, framed

These are typical works by the Rhinish painter of still-lifes, Johann Martin Metz. He was a kurkölnisch court painter in Bonn. In 1771 he opened a painting school in Cologne for ‘figures, landscapes, flowers and embroidery’. Metz was employed at an early stage of his career at the court of the Prince Elector, Clemens August in Cologne. Due to his numerous building projects, he had need of the very decorative, elegant compositions of Metz’s still-lifes. His works are to be found in all of the palaces owned by the Prince Elector, so that he is considered the most important artist working on the interior decorative schemes of this last great prince of the church of the Germania Sacra. Later Metz worked for the Palatinate Prince Elector, Karl Theodor. In 1781/82 he spent time in London, which is testimony to the fact that his circle of acquaintance was European-wide. As the present paintings demonstrate, his still-lifes point neither to the historicising referencing of Dutch precedents from the 17th century, nor to the cool smooth surfaces of the still-lifes of Classicism. In their exotic juxtapositions and decorative compositions, they are typical and charming examples of German Rococo.