Dietzsch watercolor of Anemones and a large Blue

DIETZSCH, Barbara Regina (1706-1783).
Anemones and a large Blue Butterfly.
Watercolor and bodycolor on vellum.
Nuremberg: ca 2nd and 3rd quarters, 18th-century.
10 3/4" x 7 1/2" sheet, 15 1/2" x 12 1/2" framed.
Provenance: Inscribed in pencil on the verso "Bought in Nuremberg in 1869".

Germany's greatest woman flower artist.At this period Nuremberg was, apart from London, the largest centre of botanical art in Europe, thanks largely to the scholarly patronage of Dr. Christoph Jakob Trew (1695-1769), one of the earliest supporters of Georg Dionysius Ehret. Johann Israel Dietzsch (1681-1754) had seven children who became artists. Barbara, Margareta and Johann were all employed at the Nuremburg Court, specializing in botanical subjects. It is difficult to identify definitely, on stylistic grounds, which of the family was responsible for the present watercolour, executed on a dark prepared ground characteristic of Nuremberg School The Dietzsches were an important family of painters, engravers, and musicians that flourished in Nuremberg during the eighteenth century.