Flowers in a Vase Decorated with Reliefs

The Artist

Giuseppe Recco was born into an intergenerational family workshop of still-life painters in 1634 in Naples [1]. Much of what is known about Giuseppe comes from Bernardo De Dominici’s Vite dei pittori, scultori ed architetti napoletani, which was published between 1742 and 1745 [2]. De Dominici knew Giuseppe personally, and he was known to occasionally exaggerate or distort Giuseppe’s achievements. Giuseppe’s father, Giacomo Recco (1603-1654), is considered one of the founders of still-life painting in Naples starting in the 1630s [3]. Within the Recco family workshop, it is likely that Giuseppe would have also worked with his assumed uncle, Giovan Battista Recco [4]. Claudia Salvi argues that Giuseppe’s uncle Giovan Battista likely influenced his paintings of food and dead animals, which are similar in styles to Giovan Battista’s own compositions [5]. It is in the Recco workshop, where Paolo Porpora also trained, where Giuseppe honed his painting skills and developed his painting style that has earned him much renown [6]. Giuseppe’s paintings demonstrate his mastery of a broad range of painting subjects, including flowers, marine fauna, vegetables, fruit, and kitchen items. Giuseppe Recco’s paintings varied in size and price range. Furthermore, Giuseppe’s work exemplifies Neapolitan still-life painting with his use of objects placed against a dark background or dark interior. The contrast between the sharp lighting on the objects and the dark background add to the dramatic and decadent characteristic of Neapolitan still-life paintings. 

Giuseppe’s biographer, Bernardo De Dominici, argued that Giuseppe had gained high social prestige amongst aristocrats and bourgeois members of Naples. As stated by De Dominici, Giuseppe’s still-life paintings became highly sought after, as he had powerful patrons including the Marchese de los Vélez, viceroy of Naples from 1675 to 1682, and the Marchese del Carpio, viceroy of Naples from 1683 to 1687 [7]. De Dominici also claimed that Giuseppe had also become knighted and invited to paint for Charles II in Spain in 1695. However, Giuseppe died in 1695 shortly after the challenging journey to Alicante. De Dominici made bold claims of Giuseppe’s reputation, which some scholars dispute due to the lack of documentation to confirm his claims [8].

Flowers in a Vase Decorated with Reliefs

Flowers in a Vase Decorated with Reliefs painted by Giuseppe Recco is part of a pair of paintings commissioned by John Cecil, the fifth Earl of Exeter (1648–1700) in 1684 [18]. This oil on canvas painting, which measures 256.5 by 201 centimeters, was acquired by the British consul George Davies in Naples on behalf of the fifth Earl for 400 ducats, for the pair of paintings, in 1684 [19]. Flowers in a Vase Decorated with Reliefs is an example of Giuseppe’s international reach and mastery of a range of subjects. During his 1684 visit to Naples, the fifth Earl commissioned several still life paintings from Giuseppe [20]. As part of a pair of paintings, this composition’s price of 200 ducats shows the great economic valuation of Giuseppe’s paintings. The Earl also commissioned more still life paintings, two large paintings of fish and four smaller paintings including fish and game, in 1685 from Giuseppe after this piece [21].

Claudia Salvi suggests that Giuseppe painted in various genres and adjusted his painting style to the taste of particular patrons [22]. This painting is reminiscent in style to Flemish or Dutch still life paintings of decadent bouquets. In the pair of paintings, the large vases are decorated in reliefs that depict mythological scenes. This relief includes figures of Perseus and Andromeda, while the other painting in the pair includes Lapiths and Centaurs. Vividly colored and detailed flowers fill the vase in the foreground. The painting is decadent and brilliant in color, with the setting appearing to be the interior of a grand palace. The vase is situated in a room with a table draped in a red satin cloth and another satin cloth on the ground amidst more flowers. Behind the vase, there is an ornamental parapet with a few more smaller pots of flowers. The background of the painting looks out to a landscape of hills and a cloudy sky. This painting creates a bountiful and rich scene suitable to the tastes of the Earl.

Works Cited

1. Forgione, Gianluca. “Giuseppe Recco.” Essay. In Dizionario Biografico Degli Italiani 86, 86:690–93. Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, 2016.

2. “Giuseppe Recco - A Cat Stealing Fish.” Metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed October 13, 2021. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437376.

3. Causa, Raffaello. La Natura Morta a Napoli Nel Sei e Nel Settecento. 5. Vol. 5. Storia Di Napoli. Napoli, Italia: Società editrice storia di Napoli, 1969. 

4. Damian Véronique. “Giovan Battista Recco.” Essay. In L'œil Gourmand: A Journey through Neapolitan Still Life of the 17th Century: Paris, Galerie Canesso, 26 September - 27 October 2007, 34–35. Paris, France: Galerie Canesso, 2007. 

5. Damian Véronique and Claudia Salvi. “Giuseppe Recco.” Essay. In L'œil Gourmand: A Journey through Neapolitan Still Life of the 17th Century: Paris, Galerie Canesso, 26 September - 27 October 2007, 80-81. Paris, France: Galerie Canesso, 2007

6. Damian Véronique and Claudia Salvi. “Giuseppe Recco.” Essay. In L'œil Gourmand: A Journey through Neapolitan Still Life of the 17th Century: Paris, Galerie Canesso, 26 September - 27 October 2007, 80-81. Paris, France: Galerie Canesso, 2007

7. Marshall, Christopher. “More Beautiful than Nature Itself: The Early Commercial and Critical Fortunes of Neapolitan Baroque Still-Life Painting.” Open Arts Journal 2017-18, no. 6 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2018w07.

8. Damian Véronique and Claudia Salvi. “Giuseppe Recco.” Essay. In L'œil Gourmand: A Journey through Neapolitan Still Life of the 17th Century: Paris, Galerie Canesso, 26 September - 27 October 2007, 80-81. Paris, France: Galerie Canesso, 2007

9. Marshall, Christopher. “More Beautiful than Nature Itself: The Early Commercial and Critical Fortunes of Neapolitan Baroque Still-Life Painting.” Open Arts Journal 2017-18, no. 6 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2018w07.

10. Marshall, Christopher. “More Beautiful than Nature Itself: The Early Commercial and Critical Fortunes of Neapolitan Baroque Still-Life Painting.” Open Arts Journal 2017-18, no. 6 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2018w07.

11. Marshall, Christopher. “More Beautiful than Nature Itself: The Early Commercial and Critical Fortunes of Neapolitan Baroque Still-Life Painting.” Open Arts Journal 2017-18, no. 6 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2018w07.

12. Marshall, Christopher. “More Beautiful than Nature Itself: The Early Commercial and Critical Fortunes of Neapolitan Baroque Still-Life Painting.” Open Arts Journal 2017-18, no. 6 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2018w07.

13. Marshall, Christopher. “More Beautiful than Nature Itself: The Early Commercial and Critical Fortunes of Neapolitan Baroque Still-Life Painting.” Open Arts Journal 2017-18, no. 6 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2018w07.

14. Giordano, Luca, and Giuseppe Recco. “The Riches of the Sea with Neptune, Tritons and Two Nereids.” AGSA. Art Gallery of South Australia, January 1, 1684. https://www.agsa.sa.gov.au/collection-publications/collection/works/the-riches-of-the-sea-with-neptune-tritons-and-two-nereids/27349/.

15. Marshall, Christopher. “More Beautiful than Nature Itself: The Early Commercial and Critical Fortunes of Neapolitan Baroque Still-Life Painting.” Open Arts Journal 2017-18, no. 6 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2018w07.

16. Marshall, Christopher. “More Beautiful than Nature Itself: The Early Commercial and Critical Fortunes of Neapolitan Baroque Still-Life Painting.” Open Arts Journal 2017-18, no. 6 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2018w07.

17. Marshall, Christopher. “More Beautiful than Nature Itself: The Early Commercial and Critical Fortunes of Neapolitan Baroque Still-Life Painting.” Open Arts Journal 2017-18, no. 6 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2018w07.

18. “Giuseppe Recco: A Still Life Painting.” Giuseppe Recco. | Burghley Collections. Burghley House Preservation Trust Limited. https://collections.burghley.co.uk/collection/giuseppe-recco/.

19. "Giuseppe Recco: A Still Life Painting.” Giuseppe Recco. | Burghley Collections. Burghley House Preservation Trust Limited. https://collections.burghley.co.uk/collection/giuseppe-recco/.

20. Marshall, Christopher. “More Beautiful than Nature Itself: The Early Commercial and Critical Fortunes of Neapolitan Baroque Still-Life Painting.” Open Arts Journal 2017-18, no. 6 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2018w07.

21. Marshall, Christopher. “More Beautiful than Nature Itself: The Early Commercial and Critical Fortunes of Neapolitan Baroque Still-Life Painting.” Open Arts Journal 2017-18, no. 6 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2018w07.

22. Damian Véronique and Claudia Salvi. “Giuseppe Recco.” Essay. In L'œil Gourmand: A Journey through Neapolitan Still Life of the 17th Century: Paris, Galerie Canesso, 26 September - 27 October 2007, 80-81. Paris, France: Galerie Canesso, 2007

"Giuseppe Recco: A Still Life Painting.” Giuseppe Recco. | Burghley Collections. Burghley House Preservation Trust Limited. https://collections.burghley.co.uk/collection/giuseppe-recco/.

"Giuseppe Recco: A Still Life Painting.” Giuseppe Recco. | Burghley Collections. Burghley House Preservation Trust Limited. https://collections.burghley.co.uk/collection/giuseppe-recco/.