Jan van Kessel the Elder Antwerp 1626 - 1679

M. Van den Broek d'Obrenan, Versailles (according to a label on the reverse).

The colours are richer and more vibrant than as shown in the catalogue illustration. The canvas has been recently relined and the relining is sound. The painting has been quite recently cleaned, restored and re-varnished and the paint surface is in overall good condition, although there are some regions of wear to the background, and the yellows in the upper centre and upper right have suffered from wear. There is some restoration up the vertical margins. There is an old horizontal fold or seam a few inches from the upper margin. There are some restorations to the central background and the stone cartouche. Inspection under ultra-violet light reveals some minor spot retouchings to the central figure of Vice and to the still life on the shelf and further small restorations throughout. The varnish layer is clear and even. Sold with a modern ebonised wood frame. AF*
"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."

This elaborate and highly accomplished still life is a relatively early work by Van Kessel, painted when he was just twenty-three and shortly after his marriage to Maria van Apshoven. Highly moralising, vanitas still lifes were extremely popular in the Low Countries in the seventeenth century and provided people with a reminder not only of the brevity of life, but of the punishment of vice. Here, Vice personified is depicted amongst her golden trinkets and rich jewellery; playing cards, a symbol of idleness and the traditional attribute of Vice, are strewn across the floor. Death approaches behind, ready to cut short her indecent existence. On the shelf below Van Kessel includes items that refer to the passing of time, like the hour-glass and, more subtly, the bubbles, a reference to homo bulla, the idea that life may appear joyful but can burst and disappear in an instant. Explicit religious overtones are rare in Van Kessel's work but the dice here probably represent Christ's Passion, of which they are a traditional symbol and refer to the lots cast by the soldiers for Christ's tunic.

The figures are by another hand, possibly Simon de Vos (Antwerp 1603-1676) under whom Van Kessel had trained in 1635.