Early Life and Apprenticeship in Liège Jean Dieudonné Deneux, born around 1749 in the vibrant city of Liège – a region now part of Belgium but then an independent principality – emerged as a significant, though often quietly celebrated, figure in the world of 18th-century flower painting. Details surrounding his early life remain somewhat elusive, yet we know that his artistic journey began under the tutelage of Jean-Georges-Christian Coclers, a prominent artist known for his decorative works and association with the Rococo style. Deneux’s father, Henri Deneux, secured this apprenticeship o…