Abraham van Beijeren

Anonymous sale, Gothenburg, Goteborgs Auktionsverk, 9 November 1977, lot 695.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The canvas is lined. The paint layer is raised in some areas with some instability. There are pin-prick losses of paint across the surface and restored losses to the bottom edge; some of the shadows to the still life and the ledge have been compromised. Under Ultra-Violet light some minor restorations are visible. Overall, the painting is in an untouched condition with much of the paint texture and impasto well preserved. A tonal improvement would be achieved were the varnish removed. Offered in a heavily carved gilt wood frame, some losses."
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This is a typical example of Van Beijeren's many still lifes depicting fish in an interior and is closely related to several works of vertical format, all of broadly similar dimensions, which all employ the same compositional motifs: an array of partly prepared fish and crustaceans on a wooden table before an open window in the upper left corner; compare, for example, the painting formerly with Hoogsteder and Hoogsteder, The Hague (see F.G. Meijer in L.M. Helmus (ed.), Fish Still lifes by Dutch and Flemish Masters 1550-1700, Utrecht 2004, p. 251, no. 18, reproduced p. 250).