Date
1840-1855
Object Type
Painting
Subject
Still Life with Flowers
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Painting Collection
Title
Fiori
Creator
Giovanni Meda
Subject
Still Life with Flowers
Object Type
Painting
Original Function
Teaching tool / model for the School of Landscape
Date
1840-1855
Crest
On the reverse, center, paper label: "ACCADEMIA DI BELLE ARTI E LICEO ARTISTICO/ MILANO/ N. 333/ Fiori/ cm. 23x28 £. 6000"; paper label: " [...] Fiori / 23 x 28"; paper label: "[...]".
Technique / Support
Oil on panel
Visual analysis of the technique
The small oil painting on panel depicts a glass vase filled with a colorful bouquet of flowers resting on a flat surface. The vibrant hues of the blossoms stand out against a dark background which, though seemingly deep in tone, is gently animated by a light source coming from the left. This soft light illuminates the vase and flowers, subtly defining the otherwise indistinct space, of which we perceive only the illuminated plane supporting the vase.
The artist skillfully conveys the transparency of the glass and the presence of water nourishing the flowers, capturing delicate reflections and refractions. The paint layer is remarkably homogeneous, with no visible impasto or pronounced brushstrokes; instead, it appears smooth, flat, and evenly applied, enhancing the clarity and quiet refinement of the composition.
The artist skillfully conveys the transparency of the glass and the presence of water nourishing the flowers, capturing delicate reflections and refractions. The paint layer is remarkably homogeneous, with no visible impasto or pronounced brushstrokes; instead, it appears smooth, flat, and evenly applied, enhancing the clarity and quiet refinement of the composition.
Dimensions
cm 35 x 28
Acquisition
Gift of Ambrogio Nava, 1855
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Painting Collection
Inventory number
Inv. 1980, 333
Bibliography
Agosti, Giacomo. Entry no. 509. In Pinacoteca di Brera. Dipinti dell’Ottocento e del Novecento. Collezioni dell’Accademia e della Pinacoteca, vol. 2, Musei e Gallerie di Milano. Milano: Mondadori Electa, 1994. 472, ill. (with previous bibliography).
Conservation status
Good
Restoration history
Conservation work
Frame, base, secondary support
The painting is set within a box frame of rectangular outer shape with an oval inner opening, designed to house an oval composition. Measuring 44 × 40 cm, the frame presents a balanced and refined structure. It is composed of an outer molded gilt-wood molding, followed by a brown tempera-painted band, and an additional molded molding finished in gold leaf. Surrounding the inner oval are four gilded wooden areas decorated with punched ornamentation.
Unique identifier
0302200996