Paris, 1780s. Sophie de Fuligny-Damas, Marquise de Grollier, carefully arranges her palette, her brushes, and this blue vase with golden ornaments. She pays homage to her master Van Spaendonck in a composition where each flower testifies to her exceptional talent.
The Art of Still Life Elevated to Masterpiece
Roses unfold their delicate petals in a cascade. White and mauve flowers dialogue with blue ones. Each is painted with remarkable botanical precision. Light sculpts volumes, reveals the velvety texture of petals, the veining of leaves. The blue porcelain vase, with its golden volute handles, structures the composition. The chromatic palette oscillates between cool and warm tones.
A Virtuoso Recognized by Her Peers
This work belongs to the still life tradition while embodying the French taste for elegance and precision. Van Spaendonck, official painter of the King’s Garden, teaches Sophie de Fuligny-Damas meticulous observation of nature. She becomes one of the few women painters recognized in her time. Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, her close friend, admires her talent: “She painted flowers with great superiority.” Madame de Genlis emphasizes that she achieved “perfection in this genre through the finish and freshness of her paintings.”
Charlotte Eustache Sophie de Fuligny-Damas, Marquise de Grollier
Born in Dijon, Madame de Grollier (1741-1828) also studied under Greuze. She specializes in floral painting and becomes an essential reference. Her work combines scientific rigor and artistic sensitivity, characteristic of Enlightenment art.
Think about it
💭 Which flowers from your garden would deserve such a pictorial tribute?
About This Work
- Still Life. Homage to Van Spaendonck
- Charlotte Eustache Sophie de Fuligny-Damas, Marquise de Grollier
- circa 1780-1790
- Oil on canvas
- 53.02 × 64.14 cm
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
- https://collections.lacma.org/node/179391
