Lot 1566 Nα

Few certain documentary facts about the painter of flower still life pictures, Johannes Moninckx, have come down to us. He was probably a member of the family of artists, also called Moninckx, that resided in The Hague. Other members, Pieter and Machteld, specialised in painting flowers. This family included a certain Johannes who is recorded as a painter of genre pieces and Italiante landscapes but who nevertheless might be identical with our Johannes Moninckx. The Johannes from The Hague would have been born around 1655. He is also considered as identical with the Johannes Moninckx who is mentioned in several documents from Amsterdam, dating from 1670 until his year of death, 1714. In 1670 he married presumably Peternella Ruysch, daughter of the famous anatomist Frederick Ruysch and sister in law of the latter´s also celebrated daughther, the flower paintress Rachel Ruysch.
Only three oil paintings by Johannes Monincks are recorded (one signed and dated 1688). Old sources mention some watercolours. The eighteenth century collector Valerius Roever owned four watercolours by Moninckx which were sold in 1750 along with the remainder of the collection. The inventory of Petronella de la Court, a member of the rich and influential Leiden family of cloth merchants, that was drawn up at her death, contained an album that inlcuded drawings by Moninckx. To this might be added a small group of drawings and watercolours with other provenances. The present three gouaches are the only preserved and known flower pieces by this master executad in this technique.