Gasparo Lopez

Essay:

Gasparo Lopez was an important member of the Italian School of still-life painting working at the end of the 17th century and beginning of the 18th century. Born in Naples, his early career was spent in the workshop of Andrea Belvedere, later becoming apprenticed in France to Jean Baptiste du Buisson.

He later returned Naples and introduced to the native still-life painters of the city a more formal feeling of French composition, ultimately emanating from the work of Jean Baptiste Monnoyer.

The artist's work is easily identifiable by a very strong use of blue and pallid pastel colouring. His flower paintings are always well stocked with a numerous variety of blooms and he often incorporates sculpture into his compositions. His pictures are usually signed but are seldom found in pairs.

Lopez studied in Rome, Venice and Dresden and was the Court Painter to the Grand Duke of Florence.

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Dated 1729 this painting was painted towards the end of Lopez's life when the artist was around 79 years old and living in Florence. This flower still life has been painted with Lopez's distinct baroque flair, drawing on Dutch and Flemish still life traditions as well as French styles with pastel colouring and loose, liquid brushstrokes.

Lopez has represented a white rose, a chrysanthemum, daffodils, a tulip, a poppy, blue delphinium, aquilegia, a marigold, and what appears to be a pale thistle. The trailing vine with its yellow flowers is perhaps hypericum, also known as St. John's wort.

It is always tempting to speculate on meanings implicit within flower still lifes based on the properties of the plants. In our painting hypericum and poppies are associated with the relief of depression and lightening the mood, roses and chrysanthemum with romance, and thistles with hardship. One could perhaps read a story of unrequited love hidden within the petals of Lopez's work.

Provenance:

Private collection, UK