Gerolamo Navarra

GEROLAMO NAVARRA (Verona, 1852 - Milan, 1920).
"Vase".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower central area.
Measurements: 93 x 79 cm; 113 x 98 cm (frame).
This painting, signed by Gerolamo Navarra (Verona, 1852 - Milan, 1920), represents a floral still life executed with exceptional technical mastery and aesthetic sensitivity, testimony to the Italian pictorial refinement of the late nineteenth century. The artist, known for his dedication to decorative art and the meticulous representation of flowers and precious objects, demonstrates in this work his mastery of oil, light and detail, in a composition that fuses academic rigor with an exquisite ornamental sense.
In the center of the scene stands a golden vase with two handles, elegantly decorated with a bucolic scene on its body: a couple walks next to a rural house under trees that announce autumn, evoking the romantic taste for idealized landscapes and miniature narrative painting. This decoration refers to the tradition of the fine porcelains of Sèvres or Capodimonte, and functions as a narrative microcosm within the pictorial whole. From this vase emerges an exuberant bouquet of flowers, composed of a great variety of species - roses, tulips, calla lilies, daisies, carnations, peonies - that sprout in different directions, composing a harmonious whole, vibrant and rich in color. The texture of each flower has been treated with extreme detail: the petals have volume and movement, the leaves shades of green and shade, and the contrast between warm and cold tones adds depth to the image.
The floral ensemble rests on a polished marble table, whose surface softly reflects the golden tones of the vase, a demonstration of the painter's skill in representing different materials with credibility and elegance. The dark background, flat and unadorned, accentuates the luminosity of the bouquet, making the flowers stand out with almost tactile vividness. Navarre dominates here the chiaroscuro with a sensibility inherited from baroque tenebrism, although applied with decorative rather than dramatic purposes.