Jean Baptiste Robie was a writer, traveller, but above all a painter of glorious towering floral still lifes. Robie was born four years before the death, in 1825, of Brussels most famous artistic resident Jacques Louis David (1748-1825). David, who fled France following the revolution and settled in Brussels, was enormously influential in the teaching of a generation of Belgian painters. Jules Pailinck (1781-1839) studied under David and became a teacher to Francis Tassan, a contemporary of Robie, and also a pupil at the Academy in Brussels. In his early years, Robie painted portraits of Napoleon for British visitors, mementoes of Waterloo. However, Robie turned from the prevailing style of history painting to still life, becoming the pre-eminent painter of his generation in this genre. Robie’s paintings are distinguished by his faithful colour, clarity, and detailed depictions of flowers, fruit and the accoutrements of still life painting, claret jugs, silver bowls, mother of pearl vases and candlesticks. Robie exhibited at the Brussels Salon between 1843 and 1875 and also in Ghent, Antwerp and Paris. He was made a Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur and a Commander of the Order of Leopold. In 1850 and 1863 he won third class medals and in 1889 ‘hors concours’ at the Universalle Exposition. Widely travelled, he visited Egypt, Syria, Italy, Spain and England, where he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1875, no.1222 “Flowers, Fruit and Vases”. Robie was the author of a number of travel books and also published “The Débuts of a Painter” 1886. His works can be found in museums in: Bruges; Brussels, Musée des Beaux-Arts; Ghent; Hamburg; Minneapolis and Sydney, Art Gallery of New South Wales.