- 297
Pieter Casteels III
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Pieter Casteels III
- Still life of flowers in a gilt urn on a stone ledge
- signed and dated lower right: P. Cafsteels F. / 1721
- oil on canvas, in its original carved and gilt wood frame
Provenance
Commissioned from the artist by Sir John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower (1694-1754);
Thence by descent to his son, Admiral The Hon. John Leveson-Gower (1740-1792);
Thence by family descent until sold, London, Sotheby's, 13 July 1988, lot 98, for £72,000.
Condition
"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
The original canvas is lined and the paint layer is stable. The tacking edge has been reclaimed along the top edge. Under U-V light a small scattering of retouchings can be seen. The greens of the flowers and leaves have degraded giving a washed-out look. The varnish is degraded and no longer saturates the colours satisfactorily. Overall, the picture is in a good 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."
"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
Sir John Leveson-Gower, who commissioned the present work, may well have met the artist through his brother-in-law, Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston, who employed Peter Tillemans, Casteels's own brother-in-law, to paint his portrait shooting at Thorseby. Born in Antwerp in 1684, the artist trained with his father who was also a painter. Following the death of Jacob Bogdani in 1724, Casteels became the leading bird and flower painter in England, where he had arrived in 1708 with Tillemans. He was quick to settle into London's artistic milieu; he subscribed to Kneller's Great Queen Street academy in 1711 and became a member of the Rose and Crown Club.
The proportions and low viewpoints of many of Casteels flower-pieces suggest that they were intended as overdoors or chimney pieces, where the viewers would most likely have been standing below the picture. With the help of the engraver Henry Fletcher and the nurseryman Robert Furber, Casteels painted The Twelve Months of the Year, probably his most celebrated works. These consist of an arrangement of flowers for each month of the year which were later engraved and published in 1730 as a catalogue for potential buyers. By 1735 Casteels had retired from painting and dedicated his time to the design and manufacture of calico.
The proportions and low viewpoints of many of Casteels flower-pieces suggest that they were intended as overdoors or chimney pieces, where the viewers would most likely have been standing below the picture. With the help of the engraver Henry Fletcher and the nurseryman Robert Furber, Casteels painted The Twelve Months of the Year, probably his most celebrated works. These consist of an arrangement of flowers for each month of the year which were later engraved and published in 1730 as a catalogue for potential buyers. By 1735 Casteels had retired from painting and dedicated his time to the design and manufacture of calico.