2007 Catalogue - Colnaghi

Fig. 6
Abraham Mignon (1640 – 1679)
Still-Life of Roses, Poppies, a Parrot Tulip, a Carnation, Redcurrants,
Blackberries, Morning Glories and other Flowers in a Glass Vase on
a Stone Ledge, with a Snail, Caterpillar, Butterfly, Spider and
other Insects
Acquired by a private collector
Here the flowers appear to symbolise love, as well as
the passing of time, and there is a poignant contrast
between the meticulously painted spring flowers in her
bouquet and the moving portrait of the seated middleaged
woman reflecting on past loves. She is seated in
front of a parapet wall surmounted by a statue of
Cupid, while in the background, painted indistinctly
as if in a dream, a young man pays court to his lady in
a grassy glade. Courtship and reverie are also the
leitmotifs of La Promenade [fig 8] by the great
French eighteenth-century master, Antoine Watteau.
Here the relationship between the courting couple is
observed with great psychological subtlety: the man,
all empty-handed bravado, and the woman, cool and
self-possessed. This picture, which was engraved by
Philip Mercier and enjoyed great contemporary fame,
was very probably painted during Watteau’s visit to
England between 1719 and 1720 and was in an
English private collection until the early twentieth
century. Given the enormous enthusiasm that
Frederick the Great of Prussia had for Watteau’s work
in the eighteenth century, it is appropriate that this late
masterpiece by the artist should have been sold to a
German private collection.
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Fig. 7
Godfried Schalcken (1643 – 1706)
Woman weaving a Crown of Flowers
Acquired by The National Gallery of Art, Washington
Fig. 8
Antoine Watteau (1684 – 1721)
La Promenade
Acquired by a private collector