Tobias Stranover

Stranover was born in Nagyszeben (Sibiu) in Romania, and it is most likely that he completed his early studies under his father Jeremias Stranover (d. 1702) or his elder brother also called Jeremias (dates unknown). Upon the death of his father, Tobias travelled to London in the company of William Paget, the Ambassador to the Court at Constantinople. Upon his arrival he almost certainly worked as an assistant to Jakob Bogdany, one of the pre-eminent bird painters working in London in the early 18^th century. Compositions such as the present work show a strong similarity to the still lifes of Bogdany and indeed it is highly possible that they may have collaborated on occasion. The ties to Bogdany were strengthened by Stranover marrying Bogdany’s daughter Elisabeth some time before 1721.