May 5
Title: A Forest Floor with Daisies, Primroses, and Dandelions Artist: Franz Xaver Petter (Austrian, 1791-1866) Date: 1858 Genre: floral painting Period: Biedermeier Medium: oil on paper mounted on canvas Dimensions: 32.5 cm (12.7 in) high x 29.5 cm (11.6 in) wide Location: private collection
Franz Xaver Petter, born in the Lichtental district of Vienna in what was then the Holy Roman Empire, followed in the footsteps of his father, a noted porcelain artist. The younger Petter specialized in painting flowers, whether in vases or (as here) in a wild landscape. He is considered one of the most important artists of the Biedermeier period, which saw an increase in art aimed toward the tastes of the German-speaking middle-class bourgeoisie.
