Franz Xaver Petter (22 October 1791 - 11 May 1866), Austrian painter, specialized in Still Life.
Ther Still Life genre was very popular in 19th century Austria, with a heavy Dutch influence, and a standard and mandatory subject at the Academy of Arts in Vienna. One of the favourite genre of collectors, it was also in high demand with the Imperial Court, where one could find a brilliant collection of various still lifes, both by Dutch masters and local artists.
One of the most important Austrian still life artists was Franz Xaver Petter, cu regarded this as an ideal genre to display his talent in painting various textures and especially for showing his sense of equilibrium in draftsmanship. In the beginning he painted large canvases, very populat among collectors, who therefore assured him a steady source of income. Other than this works, he was rather fond of his small studies, of flowers and fruit, which assured his long lasting reputation because of their design, clarity and inteligent yet simple composition.