Vincent Laurensz. van der Vinne I

Estimate

100,000 - 150,000 USD

bidding is closed

Description

Vincent Laurensz. van der Vinne I
A vanitas still life with a crystal ball reflecting an image of the artist at his easel, a book, a lute, a flag, a chipped roemer, a flute, a baton, an hourglass, an open book showing a view of Antwerp, an engraved portrait of King Charles I, and a charter with a seal on a partially draped table before a pillar
signed on the base of the pillar upper right: Laurens and inscribed beneath the portrait: Siet hier ten Deele afgebeelt/Wat rol den/Mensch en Werelt speelt ("Here to be observed is the role mankind plays within the world")
oil on canvas
35 3/8 x 26 1/8 inches

Provenance

Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 24 April 1998, lot 60, reproduced on the front cover;
There acquired by the present collector.

Condition

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 work is in beautiful state and should be hung in its current condition. The canvas has an old glue lining which is still good. The paint layer has been more recently cleaned and is well varnished. The retouches are clearly visible under ultraviolet light, and are only applied in small isolated spots to address very minor issues. There is no visible abrasion to even the fine details within the books and documents.
"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."

Catalogue Note

Born in Haarlem, Vincent Laurensz. van der Vinne became a pupil of Frans Hals in 1647, joining the guild two years later. His repertoire includes a variety of subjects, though he is best known for his vanitas still lifes and landscape paintings. The artist included a self-portrait, reflected prominently in the orb, at almost the center of the composition. The inclusion of the artist's own likeness adheres to the long standing tradition in Dutch painting of inserting self-portraits into reflective surfaces such as glasses or pewter jug lids, a motif similarly employed by Clara Peeters, Jan Davidsz. de Heem and Willem Claesz. Heda. The image of the artist, reflected in the surface of so delicate a medium as glass, is symbolic of the fragility of human form. The orb recalls the image of the soap bubble, itself a common motif in still life painting, which is employed again as a memento mori, representative of the fleeting transitory nature of life.

Another version of this composition, with a bust trompe-l’oeil of a turbaned figure rather than of King Charles I, can be found in the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow (inv. no. F-2005, fig. 1). The Pushkin painting is smaller, measuring 25 ¼ by 19 ¼ in.; 64 by 49 cm., and depicts the objects from a closer perspective, omitting the tip of the flag and pommel of the sword at the right side and terminating immediately below the seal on the lower edge.