Jean-Baptiste Fortuné FOURNIER
(Nice 1798 – Paris 1864)
Florence. Uffizi Gallery, the Tribune
Watercolor and gouache on paper mounted on canvas
78 x 87,8 cm
Signed and dated at the bottom right :
« F. de Fournier/Fece dal vero in/Firenze 1850 »
Provenance: Anatole Demidoff (1812 - 1870), Florence, Palais San Donato, his sale between 8 – 10 mars 1870, Florence, Villa San Donato,
Me Charles Pillet, lot 275
Jean-Baptiste Fortuné Fournier is a renowned watercolorist and miniaturist from the nineteenth century, who is known for his artworks of the interior design of several French royal residences. After his studies in Polytechnic University of Bari in Italy, Fournier returned to France and made his name in Salon de Paris during 1843 - 1864.
While many of his watercolors of the interior design of Saint-Cloud, Fontainebleau or Chantilly castles are precious testimonies of the Second French Empire style, the work presenting the Tribune in Uffizi Gallery vividly captures the essence of its decoration style. The Tribune, created by François Ier de Médicis in 1581, is an oval space designed to exhibit the most renowned artworks in Medicis’ collection.
Fournier’s meticulous drawing technique can be seen in the perfect accuracy of the golden foliage of the dome, the stone slabs on the floor and all the artworks placed therein. It is also easy to understand through this work how such a subject could have allured Prince Anatole Demidoff, the famous collector to whom the Villa San Donato was his favorite residence.
Price on demand