Roses, orange blossom and other flowers in a blue vase by Anne Vallayer-Coster - c. 1800 - 32.8 x 24 cm private collection Roses, orange blossom and other flowers in a blue vase by Anne Vallayer-Coster - c. 1800 - 32.8 x 24 cm private collection

Roses, orange blossom and other flowers in a blue vase

Oil on canvas • 32.8 x 24 cm

  • Anne Vallayer-Coster - 21 December 1744 - 28 February 1818 Anne Vallayer-Coster

    c. 1800

Time for some flowers!

Anne Vallayer-Coster, celebrated for her still-life paintings, was among the most prominent female artists in 18th-century France. Although little is known about her formal artistic training, her father (a goldsmith at the Gobelins Manufactory) may have been her first teacher. In 1770, at the age of just 26, she was unanimously admitted to the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, an achievement that attracted considerable public attention and was announced in the Mercure de France.

Vallayer-Coster exhibited regularly at the annual Salons between 1771 and 1817 and was appointed court painter to Marie Antoinette in 1780. In 1781, she married Jean-Pierre Coster, a lawyer and member of parliament from Nancy, after which she became known as Vallayer-Coster. The present painting can therefore be securely dated to after 1781. The lustrous blue vase appears as a recurring motif in her work, suggesting it may have served as a studio prop.

P.S. Explore the spectacular career of Anne Vallayer-Coster—the female master of still lifes! You can also find some more of her floral still lifes in our Flowers in Art 50 Postcards Set. 

P.P.S. Happy Lunar New Year! Enjoy 20% off on products and courses in the DailyArt Shop!