Anne Vallayer-Coster

Key facts

Lived

1744–1818, French^[2]

Movements

• allegory
• genre art
• still life
• portrait

^[2]

Works held in

21 museums^[1]

Wikipedia

View article

• Plums and almonds

  Collection Rau for UNICEF

  Remagen, Germany

  1 works

  Museum details

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• What is Anne Vallayer-Coster known for?+

  Anne Vallayer-Coster is known for her still lifes, which feature precisely observed surfaces of vegetables, flowers, game, and musical instruments. Her attention to material properties in these works led to comparisons with Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin.
• What is Anne Vallayer-Coster's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name one single work as Anne Vallayer-Coster's 'most famous', as her notability rests on her collective artistic output and skill, particularly within the genre of still life^[2]. She gained recognition in the late 18th century for her exceptional ability to depict a variety of objects, from flowers and fruit to musical instruments and scientific tools. Vallayer-Coster's paintings often feature complex arrangements, careful attention to detail, and a mastery of colour and texture. These qualities made her popular among collectors and at the French^[2] Royal court. Rather than one specific piece, it is her innovative approach to still life, elevating it to a higher status, that defines her contribution to art history.
• What should I know about Anne Vallayer-Coster's prints?+

  Information regarding Anne Vallayer-Coster's prints is scarce. Printmaking of the 18th century served to disseminate images and information to a broader public, and was often a collaborative process. For instance, the brothers Jan and Egidius Sadeler produced prints of Jacopo Bassano's paintings, such as Annunciation to the Shepherds, increasing the painting's exposure. Similarly, Wallerant Vaillant created a mezzotint of Judith, after Guido Reni, around 1672. Prints were sometimes made after an artist's drawings, as well as paintings. Two volumes published in 1726 and 1728 contain prints of drawings by Watteau. These prints provide a record of Watteau's drawings, including those now lost. Some collectors altered drawings in their possession. Camille Groult, for example, was known to 'embellish' works.
• What techniques or materials did Anne Vallayer-Coster use?+

  Anne Vallayer-Coster's artistic practice involved the careful selection and application of materials to achieve specific visual effects. Like many artists of her time, she would have been concerned with the formal qualities of her chosen media. Vallayer-Coster worked primarily with oil paints, a medium that allowed for a wide range of effects through varied application. The choice of oil paint itself influenced the character of her work, as the qualities of oil affect how colours appear. The same pigment will present differently depending on whether it is used in watercolour or oil. Artists of the period often sought to emulate the techniques of earlier masters, but the precise duplication of their methods was difficult because of subtle differences in materials available. The artist's individual touch also played a significant role, as no two artists use colour material in exactly the same manner. The very choice of material is conditioned by the effect the artist intends to achieve.
• When did Anne Vallayer-Coster live and work?+

  Anne Vallayer-Coster was active as an artist in France during the second half of the eighteenth century. Born in 1744^[2], she gained recognition for her still lifes and flower paintings. In 1770^[2], Vallayer-Coster was accepted into the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, a notable achievement at a time when opportunities for women artists were limited. Her reception piece, Attributes of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (Musée du Louvre, Paris), secured her place in the Académie. From 1771, she began exhibiting at the Salons. Vallayer-Coster received patronage from Queen Marie-Antoinette, who commissioned portraits and arranged for her to have lodgings in the Louvre. Between 1778 and 1780, she painted portraits of Marie-Antoinette (Florence Bouchy-Picon) and the aunts of Louis XVI (Musée National du Château de Versailles, Paris). Although she achieved some success as a portraitist, she is better known for her still-life works. Vallayer-Coster continued to paint until her death in 1818^[2].
• Where can I see Anne Vallayer-Coster's work?+

  To view works by Anne Vallayer-Coster, you can visit several museums. In France, the Musée du Louvre in Paris holds pieces by the artist. Other French^[2] museums with her work include the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nantes, and the Musée Fabre in Montpellier. Outside France, collections can be found at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, and the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique in Brussels. In the United States, Vallayer-Coster's paintings are held in the collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. These institutions provide opportunities to study her still lifes and other works.
• Where was Anne Vallayer-Coster from?+

  Anne Vallayer-Coster (1744^[2]-1818^[2]) was French^[2]. She is remembered as one of the most successful female artists of her time, notable for her still lifes and flower paintings. Vallayer-Coster gained membership to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1770^[2]. This was a period when opportunities for women artists within the Académie were limited. Her reception piece, Attributes of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (Musée du Louvre, Paris), secured her place. As an academician, she began exhibiting at the Salons in 1771. Although her flower paintings initially brought her the most recognition, she also produced portraits and trompe l’oeil bas-reliefs. Between 1778 and 1780, she painted portraits of women at court, including Queen Marie-Antoinette (Florence Bouchy-Picon) and the aunts of Louis XVI (Musée National du Château de Versailles, Paris). Queen Marie-Antoinette seems to have taken an interest in Vallayer-Coster, arranging lodgings for her in the Louvre and signing her marriage contract. Later in her career, Vallayer-Coster focused on still lifes, creating masterful studies of flowers in oil, gouache and watercolour.
• Who did Anne Vallayer-Coster influence?+

  It is difficult to identify direct artistic descendants of Anne Vallayer-Coster. Art-historical studies tend to focus on the influence of seventeenth-century Dutch painters such as Hals, Vermeer, Ruisdael, and Rembrandt. According to Harold Bloom's "anxiety of influence" theory, artists respond to the art of their forerunners through a process of appropriation. Some scholars have noted similarities between Vallayer-Coster and later artists. For example, the still lifes of Anne Bremer, a San Francisco artist, have been compared to those of Henri Fantin-Latour, as well as John La Farge and J. Alden Weir. Fantin-Latour is also seen as transposing Vermeer's "Lacemaker" in his work. Additionally, the interiors of Danish artists Carl Holsøe and Vilhelm Hammershøi evoke Vermeer, with their simple compositions and silvery light. These artists, along with Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg and Whistler, created quiet domestic scenes that suggest reflection and repose.
• Who was Anne Vallayer-Coster?+

  Anne Vallayer-Coster (1744^[2]-1818^[2]) was a successful French^[2] artist, most noted for her still-life paintings and her depictions of flowers. In an era when the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture offered limited opportunities to women artists, Vallayer-Coster was admitted as a member in 1770^[2]. Her entry piece was titled Attributes of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (Musée du Louvre, Paris). From 1771, she began exhibiting at the Salons. Although she also painted portraits and trompe l’oeil bas-reliefs, her flower paintings initially attracted the most attention. Between 1778 and 1780, she painted portraits of prominent women at court, including Louis XVI's aunts (Musée National du Château de Versailles, Paris) and Queen Marie-Antoinette, whom she depicted in pastel (Florence Bouchy-Picon). Marie-Antoinette owned one of Vallayer-Coster’s Vestal pictures and appears to have taken a special interest in the artist, arranging lodgings for her in the Louvre and signing her marriage contract. Critics favourably compared Vallayer-Coster’s early still-life paintings to those of Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin. However, her portraits were less well received when compared with those of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun and Adélaïde Labille-Guiard. For the remainder of her career, Vallayer-Coster concentrated on still lifes, creating masterful studies of flowers in oil, gouache, and watercolour.
• When was Anne Vallayer-Coster born?+

  Anne Vallayer-Coster was born in 1744^[2]. Anne Vallayer-Coster died in 1818^[2], aged 74.
• How did Anne Vallayer-Coster die?+

  Anne Vallayer-Coster died in 1818^[2] at the age of 74.