Spanish school; 18th century.

Spanish school; XVIII century.
"Flower vase".
Oil on canvas.
Presents Puncture.
It has frame of the nineteenth century Carlos III style.
Measurements: 32.5 x 25 cm; 60 x 41 cm (frame).
Scene starring a transparent glass vase resting on a stone shelf, collects with sobriety and elegance a selection of flowers arranged with apparent spontaneity, but carefully balanced in shape and color.
The treatment of the light, which falls laterally, highlights the volume of the petals and the transparency of the container, in a technical exercise that reveals the author's expertise in the representation of different textures: the fragility of the glass, the smoothness of the petals, the opacity of the leaves. The dark, neutral, reddish-brown background reinforces the chiaroscuro effect typical of baroque language, while concentrating attention on the central motif, isolating it from any narrative or spatial context.
This type of painting, although apparently minor within the hierarchical system of academic art, acquired a special value in 18th century Spain in the domestic and convent environment, where still lifes were appreciated for their formal beauty as well as for their symbolic charge.