Gerard van Spaendonck (Tilburg 1746-1822 Paris) A sprig of pink cabbage roses. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

signed 'G. van Spaendonck.' (lower left), oil on paper laid down on panel, 8 5/8 x 7 in. (9.6 x 17.8 cm.). Estimate $25,000 – $35,000

Provenance: Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, Monaco, 2 July 1993, lot 108 (FF 188,700). Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 8 July 2005, lot 112 (£21,600), where acquired by the Hascoe family.

Notes: After studying in Antwerp under the decorative painter Guillaume-Jacque Herreyns, Spaendonck moved to Paris, where he was appointed miniature painter to the newly crowned Louis XVI in 1774. In 1780, he became professor of flower painting at the Jardin des Plantes, and as a member of the Académie Royale, he exhibited regularly at the Salon. In 1804, he was awarded the Légion d'honneur and was ennobled the following year by Napoleon.

This study of a sprig of pink cabbage roses exhibits Gerard's complete technical mastery of flower painting, from the virtuoso treatment of the contrasting textures of the velvety flower petals and crisp leaves to the meticulous description of light reflecting in the water droplets.

Christie's. OLD MASTER PAINTINGS, 4 June 2014, New York, Rockefeller Plaza. http://www.christies.com/