Dog with a Biscuit and a Chinese Cup
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Dog with a Biscuit and a Chinese Cup was painted by Giovanna Garzoni in 1648. The work is a tempera painting on vellum that measures 27.5 x 39.5 centimeters [1]. Between the years 1642 to 1651, Garzoni worked as a court artist for the Medici Grand Dukes in Florence [2]. This particular painting was commissioned by Vittoria della Rovere, Grand Duchess of Tuscany and wife of Grand Duke Ferdinando II de’Medici [3]. This still life painting depicts a small English lap dog perched on a red tablecloth-covered table next to a Chinese cup and two biscuits. Two house flies sit atop the biscuits that are surrounded by crumbs. The inclusion of the house flies suggest that this still life scene is a brief moment captured in time.
Dog with a Biscuit and a Chinese Cup demonstrates a common practice of Garzoni’s, depicting contrasts between the exotic and the common. The English lap dop and the Chinese cup are foreign elements that indicate the reach of the Medici family beyond Italy’s borders, enabling the collecting of animals and objects from other countries [4]. The white porcelain cup is ornamented with paintings of shadowless butterflies and plants reminiscent of traditional Ming dynasty ceramic painting. Garzoni’s imitation of the Ming dynasty painting style further demonstrates a distinction between exotic and common. Garzoni’s flat depiction of nature shown in the cup contrasts with the highly realistic rendering of the houseflies on the biscuits. The differences in painting methods showcase Garzoni’s understanding of the varying painting practices she encountered, including the shadowless Chinese painting and the trompe l’oeil painting common in Europe.
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[1] Giovanna Garzoni. Dog with a Biscuit and a Chinese Cup. Images, n.d. https://jstor.org/stable/community.14497273.
[2] "Garzoni, Giovanna." Benezit Dictionary of Artists. 31 Oct. 2011; Accessed 12 Oct. 2021. https://www.oxfordartonline.com/benezit/view/10.1093/benz/9780199773787.001.0001/acref-9780199773787-e-00071138.
[3] “Canina Con Biscotti e Tazza Cinese Di Giovanna Garzoni - Finestre Sull'Arte, Podcast Di Storia Dell'Arte.” Finestre sull'Arte. Finestre sull'Arte, October 1, 2014. https://www.finestresullarte.info/operadelgiorno/2014/297-giovanna-garzoni-canina-con-biscotti-e-tazza-cinese.php.
[4] Barker, Sheila, and Sheila Barker. “The Universe of Giovanna Garzoni. Art, Mobility, and the Global Turn in the Geographical Imaginary.” Essay. In "The Immensity of the Universe" in the Art of Giovanna Garzoni, 16–29. Sillabe, 2020.
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