ITALIAN MASTER (18TH CENTURY)

Oil on canvas. Two entirely floral still lifes, set outdoors, executed using a rich colour palette. The artist worked in great detail using subtle brush strokes, creating an extremely vivid, realistic image. He has depicted a wide variety of flowers, such as peonies, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, and tulips. The flowers are placed in wicker baskets and occupy most of the picture plane. The sky and landscape are indicated in the background, and both scenes are enhanced with small architectural elements.