Jan van Huysum

Defer-Dumesnil;

Possibly by whom sold, Paris, Drouot, 10–12 May 1900, lot 12, for 2640 francs to Danlos;

Private collection, Limoges;

With Colnaghi, London and New York, 2007–08 (as Jan van Huysum);

With Peter Mühlbauer, Pocking, 2009 (as Jan van Huysum).

The following condition report is provided by Henry Gentle who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: Jan van Huysum Still life of fruit on a marble ledge. The original canvas is lined and the paint layer is stable and secure . The paint texture seen in the ribs of the leaves and the highlighted passages is untouched. Under u-v light the remains of a discoloured varnish is visible , imparting an opacity and discolouration to the image. Also visible under u-v lighting are a scattering of minor restorations applied to augment minimal paint loss , to strengthen some areas of the thinly applied original paint layer and augment details such as insect legs and the shadows between the grapes. The colours retain their vibrancy and the more delicate details convey a crispness of image. Overall, the painting is in a good preserved condition.
"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 Dr Fred G. Meijer of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, The Hague, for endorsing the attribution to Jan van Huysum (who should be correctly referred to as Van Huijsum, the spelling with which he most often wrote his name), listing this painting as ‘attributed to’ Van Huysum on the RKD database. His endorsement of the attribution is moderated only by the slightly worn condition of the present lot. Dr Meijer believes this still life to be a relatively early work by Van Huysum, dating to circa 1720.

Jan van Huysum was known within his own life time to have been a brilliant, yet reclusive artist. His works were much in demand and he received important commissions from, among others, the Duc d’Orléans, Prince William of Hesse-Kassel, Frederick-Augustus II, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, and Frederick William I, King of Prussia, and yet he was notoriously secretive about his process. Any interest shown in his works by his fellow artists was interpreted as jealousy, and no one was allowed to enter his studio for fear that they would learn how he purified and applied his colours. Van Huysum's lasting fame owes much to his technical virtuosity, and the exuberant arrangements of flowers and fruits. The masterful inclusion of bugs and insects among the elements of the still life, and the silhouetting of pale stems and tendrils against a dark back ground, as we see in this elegantly balanced still life, are typical of the artist.