IPHIGÉNIE DECAUX, BORN MILET DE MUREAU (1778-1862) Still life with white and red roses in a basket

signed and dated ‘1816’ oil on canvas 73.2 x 91.9 cm Painted in 1816 This basket of white and red roses is a fine example of the floral still life of the first part of the 19th century. The harmonious palette, the balanced composition and the precise rendering of petals and foliage bring out the natural grace of the flowers. Iphigénie Decaux, born Milet de Mureau, was a French painter specialising in floral still lifes. Born in Toulon into an aristocratic family, she studied under the celebrated flower painter Jan Frans van Dael (1764–1840). She exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon between 1798 and 1812, earning recognition for her refined compositions of flowers and fruit. One of her paintings, Fleurs et fruits, exhibited in 1808, was acquired by Empress Joséphine. In 1800, she married General Louis-Victor de Caux de Blacquetot and subsequently became known as the Vicomtesse Iphigénie Decaux. Her works remain relatively rare.