Pierre-Joseph Guerou, painter of flowers from the Sèvres Manufactory, is known to have executed the decoration of Empress Eugénie’s jewel case held in the palace of Compiègne. This piece of furniture bears the rare porcelain inlays by Julien-Nicolas Rivart, which painting was only signed by Guerou.
The Marc Maison Gallery has endeavored to find furniture items signed by Guérou, and today has in its collection some other rare examples of this painting. Guérou’s color is indeed remarkable for its luminosity and contrasts, and the precision of his stroke testifies to a real careful observation of nature.
Rivart's porcelain flowers owe their beauty to the hand of this romantic-generation painter, who knew how to give them an oxymoronic freshness.
