Vase of Flowers on the Window of a Harem

Francesco Hayez

Download hi-res image TITLE Vase of Flowers on the Window of a Harem
AUTHOR Francesco Hayez
DATE 1881
OBJECT TYPE AND MATERIAL Oil on canvas
DIMENSIONS cm 125 x 94,5
INVENTORY 6338
ROOM XXXVII
Work on display

This triumph of flowers is even more astounding when we learn that Hayez painted it at the age of ninety. It is a hymn to life and sensuality, hinted at by the composition of oriental motifs: the arch framing the scene, the rug on the window ledge, the white porcelain vase, and the realism of the flowers whose intoxicating perfume we can almost smell. We detect a female presence in the shadow: the slender hands emerging into the light belong to Angiolina, the artist’s adopted daughter.