Jan Roos

A. Orlando, Pittura fiammingo-genovese, nature morte, ritratti e paesaggi del Seicento e primo Settecento.  Ritrovamenti dal collezionismo privato, Turin 2012, forthcoming.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This large work has been quite recently restored. The canvas is lined. The restoration is accurately applied and presents the picture well. The varnish may be slightly soft in places but no further attention to the lining or the retouching is recommended. While the darker colors have certainly suffered and have been carefully, but thoroughly, retouched, the lighter colors, although retouched, have remained very strong. The quality is still very visible in the still life and figures.
"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."

We are grateful to Anna Orlando for endorsing the attribution of this work which is to be included in her forthcoming book.¹  This impressive market scene by Jan Roos is an exceptional example of the artist's aptitude for still life painting in large scale.  The artist here exhibits a remarkable range of textures; the downy, white plumage of the geese; the shimmering surface of the beaten copper vessel; the frosted,  translucent skin of the grapes; and the gnarled, waxy surface of the pumpkin; each rendered with life-like precision.

The muted palette of the background is interrupted by flashes of colour; the red of the old man's sleeve recurs in the pail, the roses and the beaks of the geese; and the yellows and pinks of the woman's drapery are intimated again in the peaches, the onions and the tulip.  Roos here utilizes compositional devices to create a dialogue with the viewer. The bearded man looks out from the canvas over his shoulder as he leans over the stall, forming a diagonal echoed by the white drapery, the outstretched neck of the goose drinking, and the extended leg of the young woman, effortlessly guiding the eye through the composition.

Roos reveals here the techniques developed during his time in the studio of Frans Snyders (circa 1610) for the naturalistic representation of animals, flowers, birds, insects and fruits.  Following a brief sojourn in Rome, in 1616 Roos adjourned in Genoa on his return to Antwerp, yet such was the demand for his work in that region. The artist remained there until his death in 1638, continuing the theme of large scale market scenes and still lives indebted to Snyders and adapting them to appeal to Genovese taste.  

1.  A. Orlando, (see under Literature), forthcoming.