Tulips, roses, daffodils and other flowers in an urn, on a stone

This still life compares closely with a pair of paintings by Elisabetta Marchioni that were recently sold at auction (Christie's, Rome, 15 June 2005, lot 662). The arrangement of the two urns side by side, placed on the ground and overflowing with flowers, predominantly tulips and roses, is typical of Marchioni's compositions (see F. Porzio, et al., La natura in Italia, Milan, 1989, I, pp. 331-3, figs. 386 and 389-90). The quick, vibrant handling of paint and the rich palette, especially the use of the reds and yellows, is common among flower painters of the Veneto in the late seventeenth-century and brings to mind the work of contemporaries such as The Pseudo-Guardi and Margherita Caffí.