- 168
Abraham Brueghel
Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 GBP
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Description
- Abraham Brueghel
- A still life of a watermelon, cherries, peaches, apricots, plums, pomegranates and figs, with lilies, roses, morning glory and other flowers on an acanthus stone relief
- signed lower left: ABrughel . Fe (AB in ligature)
- oil on canvas
- 53 1/4 by 69 1/2 in.
- 135.6 x 176.5 cm.
Provenance
D. Emery, Sion, Switzerland;
Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Gentleman'), London, Christie's, 8 December 2005, lot 44;
With Galerie Bernheimer, Munich.
Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Gentleman'), London, Christie's, 8 December 2005, lot 44;
With Galerie Bernheimer, Munich.
Condition
The canvas has been relined. The paint surface is clean and the varnish is clear. Ultra violet inspection reveals some minor retouching in the masonry and in the peaches towards the upper margin. There is some further, minor retouching in the background, also towards the upper margin. At the lower margin in the flowers and leaves there is some minor retouching. The work is offered in a carved and gilt wood 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
We are grateful to Dr Fred G. Meijer for dating this painting, on the basis of a digital image, to the second half of the 1670s, or even slightly later. It was during these years that Abraham Brueghel, the most talented and successful son of Jan Brueghel the Younger, moved from Rome, where he had settled before he was 18 years old, to Naples, where he remained until his death. Although Brueghel invariably signed his paintings (often with a variety of spellings, as in the present work) he rarely dated them, which means that tracing a chronology of his artistic development is problematic.
This painting contains the rather brighter, stronger colouring associated with his later years, along with the crispness of detail – a legacy of his Northern heritage – and smooth handling that would appear to be characteristic of his style in the last two decades of his life. The motif of the watermelon with a knife recurs throughout his career in a number of the artist's paintings, such as the Still life of fruit and flowers with a female figure, painted in collaboration with Guglielmo Cortese, sold New York, Sotheby's, 29 January 2015, lot 302, which most likely dates to the 1660s.