Provenance: Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

Legaspi painted numerous still lifes of flowers, such as these roses. There was a recurring interest in natural life that Legaspi had developed throughout his lengthy career. His works in this genre typically depict a display of flowers in their natural state or slightly arranged in an ornate vase of small or medium size on a cloth-covered table. The Rose, beautiful queen of flowers, has always been an inspiration poets and painters, through the centuries become a symbol of divine and earthly love, beauty, death, discretion, virginity, primal elements, even fraternities and families.