Spanish School, Followed by BARTOLOMÉ PÉREZ; XVII century. "Still life with flowers". Oil on panel. It has flaws in the paint and old restorations. It has faults in the frame. Measurements: 50 x 35.5 cm; 55 x 41 cm (frame). In this work the author presents a still life of completely baroque aesthetics. Both the disposition of the vase on a pedestal, added to the exuberance of the flowers that are in their maximum moment of splendor, indicate the taste for a realism taken in a certain way towards illusionism. The work is aesthetically close to the still lifes made by the painter Bartolomé Pérez, especially to those floral compositions that he created to decorate the "golden camón" of Carlos II. This work is part of the Madrid school that arose around the court of Philip IV first and then Charles II, and developed throughout the seventeenth century. The analysts of this school have insisted on considering its development as a result of the agglutinating power of the court; what is truly decisive is not the place of birth of the different artists, but the fact that they were educated and worked around and for a nobiliary and religious clientele located next to the royalty. Regarding the development of still life themes, specifically floral representations, the Madrid school experienced a great splendor of the genre. This fact is largely due to figures such as Bartolome Perez and Juan de Arellano, a specialist in floral compositions, established his workshop in the center of Madrid: already in 1646 he had one in Atocha Street. It became one of the most important in the capital, where his works were known and acquired by a large number of nobles, as is shown in the abundant inventories preserved. In his workshop, in addition to flower paintings, there was room for other genres such as still lifes, portraits, landscapes, allegorical and religious themes. It is known that he collaborated with other artists who painted the figures that Arellano surrounded with his floral compositions, such as Francisco Camilo and Mateo Cerezo. Among his disciples is his son José, who repeats his father's models with a less refined technique that shows a certain dryness and a more muted chromatism. His son-in-law Bartolomé Pérez de la Dehesa, who inherited his sensual interpretation of nature and applied it to more tranquil compositions, continued his still lifes of flowers. Dimensions 50 x 35.5 cm; 55 x 41 cm (frame).