Still Life with Flowers in a Garden, Italian school of the 18th century

Francesco Lavagna (Naples, 1684–1724) circle
Still Life with Flowers in a Garden

oil on canvas 57 x 72 cm. – with frame 74 x 89 cm.

This delightful painting, depicting a sumptuous arrangement of flowers scenically arranged in an outdoor garden, is the work of a painter from the circle of Francesco Lavagna (Naples, 1684 –1724), one of the most renowned figures in early 18th-century Neapolitan still life alongside Gaspare Lopez, both of whom trained in Andrea Belvedere’s studio.

This is an excellent example of the aesthetic level and expressive qualities achieved by the painter, who was capable of creating lively compositions with great aesthetic impact and a characteristic rocaille style, while also demonstrating a fine chromatic sensitivity, enhanced by skillful use of glazing and varying layers of paint.

A distinctive and recurring element in his artistic compositions is the white majolica plate with blue decorations. Lavagna often included vases, jugs, and ceramic plates in delicate shades of blue to create luminous contrasts with the vivid colors of flowers and fruits.

The presence of these objects reflected the era’s taste for fine craftsmanship circulating in the port of Naples, including pieces inspired by Oriental porcelain.

Neapolitan still life, once sought after by major collectors and intended to adorn the finest palaces of Naples, found in Francesco Lavagna a prominent exponent, much loved by such patrons, with his canvases—never banal and endowed with a descriptive power of remarkable visual impact.

The compositional choices are typical of the painter’s repertoire; he loved to create his floral compositions—featuring various species—set en plein air within gardens, with plants placed in vases and arranged on the ground with apparent randomness and disorder.