Vase of Flowers

In the pair of flower pieces, now in the Prado, the bouquets are arranged in two identical gilt vases resting on a long wooden table in an unspecified interior space. Unlike the stone ledges and rocky outcrops favoured by contemporary flower painters in Madrid, the plain wooden tabletop, which had also been used in the still-life paintings of Francisco de Zurbar�n, was a favourite means of support in the flower pieces of Camprob�n. Pink, white and red roses predominate in the centre of the compositions and are accompanied by irises, lilies and carnations, with generous amounts of foliage punctuating the spaces between the blooms. Flowers spill out around the vases and hang down almost to meet the loose blooms resting on the tabletop, that include a branch of lilies and a sprig of orange blossom. The finesse and attention to detail with which Camprob�n depicted flowers is epitomised by the few loose leaves and fallen petals that he carefully depicted on the wooden table, motifs that also suggest that the flowers were in the fullness of their bloom.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 2 minutes):

Franz Schubert: Blumenlied (Flower Song) D 431