Lot 251
  • 251

Johan Laurentz Jensen

Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Johan Laurentz Jensen
  • Stilleben med blomster i græsk vase (Still Life with Flowers in a Greek Vase)
  • signed and dated I. L. Iensen 1848 lower left
  • oil on panel
  • 78.5 by 59.3cm., 31¼ by 23¼in.

Provenance

Sale: Sotheby's, London, 21 November 1989, lot 8
Purchased by the present owner at the above sale

Condition

This condition report has been provided by Hamish Dewar, Hamish Dewar Ltd. Fine Art Conservation, 14 Masons Yard, Duke Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6BU. Structural Condition The artist's panel is very slightly uneven but is providing a secure and stable support and no structural intervention is recommended and the panel should be accommodated within the framing arrangement. Paint Surface The paint surface has a very discoloured varnish layer and should respond extremely well to cleaning and revarnishing. I would be confident of a considerable colour change. Inspection under ultra-violet light confirms how discoloured the varnish layers have become and how beneficial cleaning would be and reveals only very small scattered retouchings around the framing edges and a few spots in the background. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in very good and stable condition with the potential to be transformed by cleaning and revarnishing.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Jensen is often referred to as the 'father of Danish flower painting'. Born outside Copenhagen, he enrolled at the Royal Academy aged just fourteen, where he studied under Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (lots 254 & 255). His talent attracted the attention of Crown Prince Christian Frederick, later King Christian VIII, who awarded him a travelling scholarship.

Jensen subsequently visited Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Paris, before becoming apprenticed to Alexandre Brongniart, the director of the famous Sèvres porcelain factory, and under whom he honed his characteristically refined technique. The present work epitomises the extraordinary elegance and precocious eye for detail to be found in Jensen's still lifes.