Flowers in a tazza on a ledge

Lauded in the recent past by both Dr. Klaus Ertz and Sam Segal as an important autograph work by Jan Brueghel the Elder, and one of only six signed and dated flower paintings in his oeuvre, this is the only floral composition type in the Brueghel canon that can be associated with a surviving drawing (London, British Museum; fig. 1). The London drawing appears to have been used by Brueghel and his workshop in a number of floral compositions that feature the same tazza. Examples include the still life of circa 1620 by Jan Brueghel the Younger (Pasadena, Norton Simon Museum), and an octagonal panel of circa 1618 given to Jan Brueghel the Elder (Sotheby’s, New York, 26 January 2006, lot 7). As Beatrijs Brenninkmeijer-de Rooij has observed, it is likely Jan Brueghel the Elder’s drawing in London preceded all the paintings, setting the example for all subsequent compositions from his workshop (‘Zeldzame bloemen, 'Fatta tutti del natturel' door Jan Brueghel I’, Oud Holland, CIV, no. 3/4, 1990, pp. 232-3).

Although there are significant differences between this and the octagonal version, Dr. Fred G. Meijer, to whom we are grateful, considers the quality of it to be superior to this example, which he therefore thinks is more likely to be the product of the Brueghel studio. The connection with the workshop is established by a dendrochronological examination of the oak support of this work, which has determined that the panel derives from the same tree as a Still life with tulips, painted by Jan Brueghel the Younger (sold Sotheby’s, London, 7 July 2005, lot 5).

Of the many vessels employed by Brueghel and his workshop in their floral still lifes – from imported Chinese porcelain bowls, to vases, earthenware containers and delicately woven wicker baskets – the tazza, according to Klaus Ertz, was the most ‘aristocratic’. It would traditionally be seen serving wine or sweetmeats during ceremonial or prestigious occasions. The tazza here is crafted in silver-gilt, and formed of a finely worked base with a circular foot that is ornamented with floral and geometric chased designs. Springing from it is the elegant stem, with two twisting handles, decorated with a mask and surmounted by the shallow bowl. The reflections of the drooping blooms enliven the highly polished surface, while allowing the artist to demonstrate their skill in the rendering of their contrasting optical qualities.