François GARNIER (Paris, circa 1600 - 1672) Basket of cherries, bowls of wild strawberries and hazelnuts, baskets of blueberries, pears and quinces, asparagus and artichokes on an entablature Oil on canvas Basket of cherries, bowls of wild strawberries and hazelnuts, baskets of blueberries, pears and quinces, asparagus and artichokes on an entablature, oil on canvas, by F. Garnier 32.87 x 48.22 in. 83.5 x 122.5 cm Provenance: Private collection, Ile-de-France Descended from a family of decorators active in Fontainebleau in the 16th century, François Garnier settled in Paris at the beginning of the 17th century and specialised in a genre inherited from the Flemish and Dutch tradition, the still life. A wealthy man who also traded in paintings, he became involved with the community of painters who worked in the Saint-Germain fairground, the very centre of Parisian production in this genre, which was highly prized by 17th-century art lovers. In 1620, he married the widow of the painter Nicolas Moillon, thus becoming the father-in-law of Louise Moillon, then a budding young artist, but already showing immense potential that did not escape our artist. Tradition has it that Louise was trained by her father-in-law, and the two artists forged a special relationship fuelled by their shared passion and talent for still life painting. François Garnier's paintings are largely inspired by the aestheticism developed by the Nordic masters, such as Osias Beert, and are the best examples of French Protestant painting, which seeks to describe the most humble reality, distinguished by the refusal of luxuriant decorative effects in favour of more sober, refined compositions that invite us to meditate. Our previously unpublished painting is an important rediscovery to add to the body of work by François Garnier. With its very ambitious composition and format, it can be compared with a painting recently returned to François Garnier and acquired by the Musée du Grand Siècle in Saint-Cloud, in which we find elements borrowed precisely from our painting, such as the branch in the foreground, the three peaches on the left and the porcelain dish filled with wild strawberries. While François Garnier is widely acknowledged as one of the great masters of the representation of red fruit, a merit that is amply confirmed here, our work is surprising in the wide variety of fruit and vegetables represented, as well as the relative complexity of the arrangement. The impressive basket of apples and pears barely conceals its alter ego of wild blueberries to its right, while the artichokes, admirably rendered, seem to be trying to push the dish of white cherries, some of which are already falling, off the table, giving the painting a subtle movement that is skilfully suggested. François GARNIER (Paris, circa 1600 - 1672) 83.5 x 122.5 cm Descended from a family of decorators active in Fontainebleau in the 16th century, François Garnier settled in Paris at the beginning of the 17th century and specialised in a genre inherited from the Flemish and Dutch tradition, the still life. A wealthy man who also traded in paintings, he became involved with the community of painters who worked in the Saint-Germain fairground, the very centre of Parisian production in this genre, which was highly prized by 17th-century art lovers. In 1620, he married the widow of the painter Nicolas Moillon and thus became the father-in-law of Louise Moillon, then a budding young artist, but already showing immense potential that did not escape our artist. Tradition has it that Louise was trained by her father-in-law, and the two artists forged a special relationship fuelled by their shared passion and talent for still life painting. François Garnier's paintings are largely inspired by the aestheticism developed by the Nordic masters, such as Osias Beert, and are the best examples of French Protestant painting, which seeks to describe the most humble reality, distinguished by the refusal of luxuriant decorative effects in favour of more sober, refined compositions that invite us to meditate. Our previously unpublished painting is an important rediscovery to add to the body of work by François Garnier. With its very ambitious composition and format, it can be compared with a painting recently returned to François Garnier and acquired by the Musée du Grand Siècle in Saint-Cloud, in which we find elements borrowed precisely from our painting, such as the branch in the foreground, the three peaches on the left and the porcelain dish filled with wild strawberries. While François Garnier is widely acknowledged as one of the great masters of the representation of red fruit, a merit that is amply confirmed here, our work is surprising in the wide variety of fruit and vegetables represented, as well as the relative complexity of the arrangement. The impressive basket of apples and pears barely conceals its alter ego of wild blueberries to its right, while the artichokes, admirably rendered, seem to be trying to push the dish of white cherries, some of which are already falling, off the table, giving the painting a subtle movement that is skilfully suggested.