Daniel Bruyninx

Lady with Bunch of Flowers

A young lady stands next to a table, taking a small bunch of multi-coloured flowers from a basket. She looks at the observer, which indicates that the flowers are for him. The representation is harmoniously placed into the rectangle and arranged with great mastership. ¹ The blue colour of the sitter's gown gains luminance through the grey-brown background, and the lady's reserved smile adds a charming grace to the portrait. The artist's mastership is also visible in the reproduction of the flower basket and the bouquet, which both attract the observer's attention.

Daniel Bruyninx was the most inventive Dutch miniaturist in the third quarter of the 18th century. He rejected a precise pointillé and rather developed a translucent painting style that captured the essence of the subject with quite broad, quick brushstrokes, leaving the grey preparatory drawing clearly visible. Thus, his works convince by their freshness and spontaneity.

B.P.

¹ Horizontal rectangular miniatures are rare in Bruyninx' work. A comparable miniature from 1755 shows a young female artist sitting at a table and painting in watercolours (Historical Museum Rotterdam). Like his Dutch colleague Marinkelle (cf. Cat. No. 2008-54), Bruyninx painted his portrait miniatures on parchment in the 1750s but later switched to ivory, which allowed for a better reproduction of the sitter's skin due to its sleekness and light transparency.