Jakob Marell Frankenthal 1613/14 - 1681 Frankfurt am Main

The Von Coels von der Brügghen family, by an unknown date;
Thence by descent and inheritance to the present owner.

"The following condition report has been provided by Sarah Walden, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting is on a fairly thick oak panel in one piece, bevelled at the sides. It appears flat and stable, apart from one small knot at the extreme lower left edge which has moved slightly and where there may be a filling. The edges have been scuffed by the frame, however the entire background has been repainted with a clumsy black layer, and the heavy dark varnish includes blackish streaks over the whole surface including the flowers. It is not clear if there is an older isolating layer of varnish underneath all of this, but among the stalks in the centre it is possible to see the original more transparent lighter tone of the painting, and the flowers in general appear to be rather finely preserved beneath the streaky patinated layer. Whether there was a reason for the repaint, other than some simplistic cosmetic fashion is hard to tell. There is a patch that seems to have been partially cleaned at lower right uncovering what might be honeysuckle, but it is confused. It is however certain that the objects on the table that have not been affected appear to be in beautiful condition, as are the tulips and the untouched area in the centre. The red flower at lower right seems to have some slight wear with a few little retouchings, but this seems to be an exception connected with the attempted cleaning patch nearby. The clear cut line of fairly crude background overpaint shows little sophistication, but evidently the still life itself was not tampered with, and fine details remain beautifully intact for instance in the elaborate jug, the lizard and the tulips themselves, with even the delicate detail of the love in the mist flower in the central untouched area apparently well preserved. This report was not done under laboratory conditions."
"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."

Jakob Marell was born in Frankenthal on the Rhine in 1614 and became a pupil of the still-life painter Georg Flegel in Frankfurt in 1627. In the early 1630s he moved to Utrecht to work with Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606-1684), also coming under the influence there of the Bosschaert family of flower painters and Roelandt Savery (1576-1639). Marell therefore forms an important bridge between the two early centres of flower painting in Frankfurt and Utrecht.

This picture is a clear example of the combination of influences which helped form the artist's style. The motif of the stag beetle originated with Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) and was probably passed down to Marell by Flegel, whilst the lizard may have been inspired by the work of Savery, who was working in Utrecht at the same time as Marell.

The reading of the date indicates that the present lot was painted in the 1640s and the general composition, use of light and colouring certainly appears to be consistent with known works by Marell dated to this decade. The sculpted earthenware vase, and the cherries and lizard on the wooden ledge below recur in Marell's Still life of flowers with a lizard in Washington, The Heinz Family Collection which is signed and dated: IM f 1647.¹ The present painting can also be compared with Marell's Still life of tulips, iris and other flowers in a glass vase resting on a ledge with a sprig of cherries, a dragonfly and a lizard which was sold New York, Sotheby's, 19 May 1995, lot 30 and has been dated by Fred Meijer of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorisches Documentatie, The Hague, to the early 1640s.

1. G. Bott, Die Stillebenmaler Soreau, Binoit, Codino und Marrell in Hanau und Frankfurt 1600-1650, Hanau 2001, p.226, cat. no. WV.M.10, reproduced.