Flower Vase
1689 - 1691. Oil on panel.Room 018
This work and its complementary piece (P006396) are on panel, which is unusual in Spanish flower painting, and the background is gilt, also very unusual. On the other hand, the variety of plants is familiar, and the depiction of the flowers, shares in many commonalities, as can be seen by comparing the tulips and the roses. There is also a clear stylistic relationship with other works by Bartolomé Pérez, such as Garland of Flowers with Saint Anthony of Padua, which dates to 1689 (P003655). The particularity of these vases stems from their function: they were intended to decorate the ‘golden bed’ of Charles II. This was a structure made up of 54 gilded panels which included representations of plants painted by Bartolomé Pérez between 1689–1691 with the help of another artist, perhaps Ciézar. The set housed the bed. During the 18th century, the bed was dismantled, and the boards were dispersed.
