Gilt metal vase with flowers and parrot - SOLD

Andrea Scacciati, a Florentine painter, after an initial apprenticeship with Mario Balassi, moved to the workshop of Maestro Lorenzo Lippi. This persuaded him to paint flowers, fruits, and animals, to which his genius tended, and he excelled to such an extent that he served the royal house of Tuscany, and in Livorno, many English gentlemen,...' [F.M.N. Gabburri, Lives of Painters 1719-1741, Florence, ms. Palatino E.B.9.5, Vol. I]. From a gilded metal vase, resting on a rocky ledge, emerges an opulent bouquet of flowers of various botanical varieties and chromatic tones (typical of the artist's production); a balanced, refined, and harmonious composition. To the left, resting on a low stone wall, a large parrot with beautiful plumage of a stunning reddish-green and yellow color looks at us. The gray background increases the contrast with the bright colors of the flowers and the twig of roses resting next to the friendly and colorful bird, which a ray of light skillfully illuminates. It is precisely the colors that saturate the viewer's eye, which the painter has brilliantly enhanced by illuminating the scene with a beam of light. The composition recalls the painting "Gilt metal vase with flowers, wild herbs, parrot, and butterfly" published by Sandro Bellesi in the monograph ANDREA SCACCIATI - Painter of flowers, fruits, and animals in Florence in the late Baroque era, Edizioni Polistampa, 2012, Tav. XVI on page 66, card 80a on page 162, owned by us and now in a private collection. The undisputed autograph of Scacciati is confirmed by the initials ASC in intertwined letters and the date 1696 visible at the base of the small wall. 'The aforementioned Andrea, in addition to his excellence in art, was very witty in his concepts, pleasant, and jovial,...' [ibidem] characteristics that shine through in his magnificent works. Dimensions: canvas 48 x 61.5 - frame 65 x 77 cm