Lot 246: - The Pseudo-Guardi , Active in Venice during the second half of the 18th Century still lifes of flowers in vases arranged on stone ledges a set of six, oil on canvas, oval, unlined, each in its original gilt wood frame

a set of six, oil on canvas, oval, unlined, each in its original gilt wood frame Quantity: 6

measurements note each: 98.5 by 73 cm.; 38 3/4 by 28 3/4 in.

This set of six wonderfully extravagant flower still lifes belongs to a group of flower pieces that were previously attributed to Francesco Guardi (1712-1793). Giuseppe Fiocco was the first to try and bracket these paintings together under the attribution to a "Guardi fioristi" in his article "Francesco Guardi pittore di fiori" of 1950 in Arte Veneta.υ1 However, a lack of concrete documentation has hindered further academic research on this subject, and therefore paintings belonging to this group are usually described with an attribution to the "Pseudo-Guardi" or "Maestro dei fiori guardeschi". The group of still lifes now attributed to the Pseudo-Guardi appear to be have been painted by more than one hand, but all of them show a clear link to the works of artists such as Gaspare Lopez, Elisabetta Marchioni and Margherita Caffi. They are typical of the elaborate Rococo taste prevalent in Venice during the second half of the eighteenth century. 1. G. Fiocco, "Francesco Guardi pittore di fiori", in Arte Veneta, 1950, vol IV, pp. 76-85.