Fontainebleau Fine Art

Felix-Fran̤ois-Georges-Philibert ZIEM (French, 1821-1911) "Bouquet of Roses"Circa 1850

“Bouquet of Roses” – Circa 1850

Signed Ziem lower left
Oil on board – Excellent condition
5 ⅞ x 9 ½ in (14,9 x 24 cm)
12 x 15 in framed (30,5 x 38 cm)
Beautiful custom-made, hand-crafted and
gold-leafed Louis XIV style frame from
the renowned Parisian framing house
“RG” Rue Bonaparte.

Provenance: German collection Hermann Sprengel U Sohn
Felix Ziem studied at the Architecture & Fine Art School of Dijon (France) where he graduated with the
2nd prize for architecture & draftsmanship in 1839. After traveling almost half of France on foot, he
settled around Marseille where he worked as a surveyor on the construction of the Marseille canal. But
not before long his love for the arts took him over. His drawings and watercolors attracted the patronage
of Ferdinand-Philippe, Duke of Orleans as well as of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie of the French
Riviera. From 1842, he became the epitome of the “travelling painter of the 19th century” whose muse
kept him scouting Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Ziem became famous for his paintings
from Barbizon, where he befriended the most renowned artists of the Barbizon School, as well as for
those from Constantinople and Venice, which became his second home.
Multi talented painter, equally brilliant with portraits, still lives, genre scenes and landscapes.
Ziem enjoyed financial success during his lifetime allowing him to help less privileged artists and
established several charitable organizations such as a center for blind people. But he was also acclaimed
by his peers. He regularly exhibited at the Salon de Paris from 1849 and won numerous prizes such as
1st class medal in 1852 and 1853. He was titled “Commandeur de la legion d’honneur” in 1901, the
second highest distinction one can obtain in France.
Ziem also owned studios in Paris (whose contents were donated to the city of Paris. This collection is
now exhibited in the Musée du Petit Palais) and in Martigues in the South of France (now the location of
the Ziem Museum).
Ziem’s unique technique, using strong yet precise brushstrokes contributed as a mile stone in History of
Art and placed him among Jongkind, Boudin and Monet as a precursor of Impressionism.
• Literature:
- Benezit: Dictionnaire des peintres, 1999
- Anne Burdin – Hellebranth: Felix Ziem 1821 – 1911, Paris, 1998
- A. Calonne: Félix Ziem: peintre voyageur, catalogue de l’oeuvre peinte et inventaire du musée
Ziem de Martigues, éd Actes Sud, Arles 1994.
- Pierre Miguel: Ziem 1821 – 1911, catalogue raisonné de l’oeuvre, éd de la Martinelle, Maurs-
La –Jolie, 1978
- Gérald Schurr: Dictionnaire des Petits Maîtres de la Peinture, 1820-1920, Paris 1996
• Museums:
Besides the Ziem Museum in Martigues, his work is exhibited in numerous national museums:
Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Moscow, Paris (Musée de la Marine, Musée du Petit Palais, Musée
du Louvre)