1636 -1699 · Lille, Paris and London

Sumptuous vases, clever garlands and flowers intended for large decorations make Jean Baptiste Monnoyer the floral specialist of the reign of Louis XIV.

Jean Baptiste Monnoyer was born in Lille in 1636 and established himself as one of the most important flower painters of the second half of the 17th century. Based in Paris, he adapted the Flemish naturalist tradition to the decorative ambitions of the court of Louis XIV. His bouquets are not simple botanical inventories: flowers of different seasons, sculpted vases, draperies and architectural elements are brought together in ideal compositions designed to dialogue with an interior. He works at the major royal shipyards, notably in Versailles and Marly, and provides models for the Gobelins and Beauvais factories. The Vase of Flowers illustrates this alliance between observation and staging. Each species retains a distinct silhouette, texture and orientation, but the whole follows a calculated movement which leads from the container towards the lightest flowers. The light varies petals, leaves and reflections so that the bouquet seems both abundant and orderly. Monnoyer also creates garlands around scenes painted by other artists. Around 1688, for The Annunciation today at the Louvre, Charles de La Fosse painted the central scene while Monnoyer executed the crown of flowers which surrounded him. This collaboration shows how his floral art could become an architectural element of the image. Guest in England at the end of his career, he worked for an aristocratic clientele in London and helped to disseminate the great French floral decor. Died in the English capital in 1699, he left paintings, designs and tapestry models whose influence continued with his son Antoine and with many European decorators. The "Jean Baptiste Monnoyer" selection notably compares Vase of Flowers. His reading favors light.

Monnoyer composes a bouquet like an architectural setting: each flower remains identifiable, but all participate in a movement designed to transform the space.