(Vienna 1756-1811)
Still life with fruit, flowers, bird and butterflies
signed and dated lower right: Drechsler. f. 1788., oil on copper, 29.5 x 37.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private European collection

We are grateful to Gerbert Frodl for confirming the attribution after examining the present painting in the original.

This painting in copper is an important rediscovery and addition to the catalogue of the painter. It is signed and dated in the lower right hand corner ‘Drechsler. f. 1788.’ and was executed when Drechsler was already an established artist in Vienna.

Following the Baroque style of Dutch flower paintings he assembled a variety of different blooms to create a rich and colourful bouquet. They are beautifully arranged in a basket set against a dark background. The richness of nature is complemented by two peaches and different kinds of animals such as a bird, two butterflies and a fly. The present composition is a typical example of his style and can be compared to Still life of flowers in a vase with a bowl of fruit (Sotheby’s, London, 9th July 2015, lot 205), Still-Life with flowers in a landscape with ruins in Vienna (Akademie der bildenden Künste) and other still lifes (see G. and M. Frodl, Die Blumenmalerei in Wien, Vienna 2010, pp. 41-45).

Johann Baptist Drechsler was the son of a porcelain painter and he is documented between 1772 and 1782 at the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory. In 1787 he became the first professor of the newly established class in flower painting at Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. Drechsler’s style was strongly influenced by the Netherland flower painter Jan van Huysum (1682–1749). Drechsler has been considered the founder of a new manner of flower painting and the leading protagonist of this genre in Vienna.

Provenance:
Private European collection

We are grateful to Gerbert Frodl for confirming the attribution after examining the present painting in the original.

This painting in copper is an important rediscovery and addition to the catalogue of the painter. It is signed and dated in the lower right hand corner ‘Drechsler. f. 1788.’ and was executed when Drechsler was already an established artist in Vienna.

Following the Baroque style of Dutch flower paintings he assembled a variety of different blooms to create a rich and colourful bouquet. They are beautifully arranged in a basket set against a dark background. The richness of nature is complemented by two peaches and different kinds of animals such as a bird, two butterflies and a fly. The present composition is a typical example of his style and can be compared to Still life of flowers in a vase with a bowl of fruit (Sotheby’s, London, 9 July 2015, lot 205), Still-Life with flowers in a landscape with ruins in Vienna (Akademie der bildenden Künste) and other still lifes (see G. and M. Frodl, Die Blumenmalerei in Wien, Vienna 2010, pp. 41-45).

Johann Baptist Drechsler was the son of a porcelain painter and he is documented between 1772 and 1782 at the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory. In 1787 he became the first professor of the newly established class in flower painting at Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. Drechsler’s style was strongly influenced by the Netherland flower painter Jan van Huysum (1682–1749). Drechsler has been considered the founder of a new manner of flower painting and the leading protagonist of this genre in Vienna.