A Hanging Bouquet of Flowers
probably 1665/1670
Painter, German, 1640 - 1679
Abraham Mignon united this sumptuous floral piece through the free-flowing rhythms of flowers, fruits, and grains, all tied together with a blue satin bow. The various shapes and vivid colors complement one another with easy naturalness, proof of Mignon’s exquisite sense of design. Paintings of hanging bouquets had their origins in the Catholic church’s practice of decorating altars with garlands of live flowers. Mignon’s stunning array of textures certainly validates an early biographer’s observation that the artist was "especially diligent."
After training in his native Germany, Mignon moved to Utrecht where he probably worked in the studio of Jan Davidsz de Heem (1606–1684), who resided in Utrecht from 1667 to 1672, before returning to Antwerp. Mignon consequently adopted De Heem's "Flemish" taste for rich color and complex design.
Artwork overview
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Medium
oil on panel
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Credit Line
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Dimensions
overall: 38.1 x 29.9 cm (15 x 11 3/4 in.)
overall (with additions): 39 x 31.1 cm (15 3/8 x 12 1/4 in.)
framed: 53.3 x 45.1 x 6.4 cm (21 x 17 3/4 x 2 1/2 in.)
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Accession
1992.51.5
More About this Artwork
Artwork history & notes
Provenance
Private collection, England;[1] (John Mitchell & Son, London); purchased November 1961 by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia; gift 1992 to NGA.
[1] Correspondence from Peter Mitchell, 22 June 1992 (in NGA curatorial files). The painting may have come to Mitchell from a Mr. Phillips, of Hitchin (Antiques) Ltd., for it is noted as having been in Phillips' possession by Sydney H. Pavière, Floral Art: Great Masters of Flower Painting, Leigh-on-Sea, 1965: 32.
Associated Names
Bibliography
1961
The Connoisseur 147 (June 1961): vii, color repro.
1965
Pavière, Sydney H. Floral Art - Great Masters of Flower Painting. Leigh-on-Sea, 1965: 32, color repro. 34.
1973
Kraemer-Noble, Magdalena. Abraham Mignon, 1640-1679. Catalogue Raisonné. Leigh-on-Sea, 1973: 53, no. B142 (noted by the author as "probably not genuine").
1995
Wheelock, Arthur K., Jr. Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, 1995: 172-174, color repro. 173.
2007
Kraemer-Noble, Magdalena. Abraham Mignon, 1640-1679: catalogue raisonné. Studien zur internationalen Architektur- und Kunstgeschichte, vol. 44. Petersberg, 2007: no. 8, 60, repro. 61.
Inscriptions
lower left: AB (in ligature) Mignon f.
Wikidata ID
Q20177603