Bouquet of flowers

Copyright

Work in the public domain
Image: Courtauld

Maker

(artist)
1744-1819

Title

Bouquet of flowers

Date of Production

1780

Medium

graphite, pen and brown and black ink, watercolour and bodycolour, some areas with added gum arabic (now flaked off in areas and exhibiting craquelure), on paper cut into an oval, laid down

Dimensions

Height: 45.3 cm
Width: 38.1 cm

Object Number

D.1952.RW.4446

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Location

Not currently on display

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Keywords

Label Text

Mary Moser's expertise in flower painting draws attention to the fact that this branch of still life was considered a suitable artistic activity for women. It was not thought to require intellectual effort and was regarded as ideally compatible with female sensibilities. Contemporary drawing manuals taught women how to observe and record nature in a particular way. This careful arrangement of individually studied flowers, set-off against a sky-blue background, conforms to teaching methods which equated female vision with decorative and pretty effects.

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: unable to see as is laid down and covered in thick media.

Inscription: Recto: lower right edge, brush and brown wash, signed and dated by the artist: "M. Moser 1780".

Collector's mark: none.

Provenance

anonymous sale, Christie's (London), 27 October 1950, lot 103; purchased there by Colnaghi (London) on behalf of Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952) (£25.4); Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

Outgrowing: Flowers and female artists, 1700 to now, Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum, 28/01/2022-24/04/2022

Second Nature, Courtauld Gallery, London, 14/06/2000-03/09/2000

Literature

Blunt, Anthony, Hand-list of the drawings in the Witt Collection, London, 1956
p. 35

Zweig, Marianne, 'Mary Moser' in 'The Connoisseur Year Book', 1956 - pp. 104-10
fig. 8 on p. 108

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