- 153
Jan Weenix
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Jan Weenix
- A still life of game birds, grouse, a hare and a kingfisher, with a basket of fruit at the foot of a stone urn, an ornamental garden with a fountain beyond
- signed and dated centre right: J.Weenix. f / 1706
- oil on canvas
Provenance
A. N. Armstrong (according to a label on the reverse);
Private collection from before 1953 until anonymously sold, ("Property from a Private Collection"), London, Sotheby's, 7 July 2004, lot 12, where unsold;
Acquired after the auction by the present owner.
Private collection from before 1953 until anonymously sold, ("Property from a Private Collection"), London, Sotheby's, 7 July 2004, lot 12, where unsold;
Acquired after the auction by the present owner.
Condition
The canvas has been relined. The paint surface is secure and in good condition, if a little thin, under and even varnish. Inspection under UVlight reveals some scattered minor retouchings most notable in the lines of old craquelure. Offered in a stained wooden northern style frame in good condition.
"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."
"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
This painting dates from the first decade of the 18th century, Weenix's most successful and accomplished period. During this time he was to fulfil his most important commissions; from 1702-14, for example, he was in the service of Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz at Schloss Bensberg near Düsseldorf for which he painted twelve huge canvasses now in the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich.
In works such as this, the spacious design, together with the decorative accessories of classical statuary and manicured Italianate gardens all reflect the increasing influence of French taste on Dutch art at this period. Weenix, who was unquestionably the dominant and most celebrated Dutch exponent of this genre, adopted a compositional formula which evidently more than satisfied the requirements of his increasingly international clientèle, and freely adapted or repeated motifs from one work to another. Thus the elements of the hare, the basket of fruit and the boy carrying a basket in the present work all recur, for example, in another Gamepiece painted in 1705 and later in the collections of the Dukes of Hamilton.1 Two copies of the present composition are known: one in the Neuwstraten collection sold Paris, Drouot, 10-11 May 1904, lot 32; and another from the Lundens collection sold Amsterdam, Roos, 18 November 1913, lot 107.
1. Sold London, Christie's, 8 December 1995, lot 47.
In works such as this, the spacious design, together with the decorative accessories of classical statuary and manicured Italianate gardens all reflect the increasing influence of French taste on Dutch art at this period. Weenix, who was unquestionably the dominant and most celebrated Dutch exponent of this genre, adopted a compositional formula which evidently more than satisfied the requirements of his increasingly international clientèle, and freely adapted or repeated motifs from one work to another. Thus the elements of the hare, the basket of fruit and the boy carrying a basket in the present work all recur, for example, in another Gamepiece painted in 1705 and later in the collections of the Dukes of Hamilton.1 Two copies of the present composition are known: one in the Neuwstraten collection sold Paris, Drouot, 10-11 May 1904, lot 32; and another from the Lundens collection sold Amsterdam, Roos, 18 November 1913, lot 107.
1. Sold London, Christie's, 8 December 1995, lot 47.