Coenraet Roepel

Brig. Sir Geoffrey Hardy-Roberts;
By whom sold, London, Sotheby's, July 10, 1974, lot 23 (as by Cornelis de Heem);
Oppenheimer, Malmö, Sweden, 1986;
With Kunsthandel K. & V. Waterman, Amsterdam, by 1986, from whom acquired in 1990 by the present collector.

 

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting has been fairly recently restored. The canvas has been lined using wax as an adhesive. The paint layer has been more or less cleaned, retouched and varnished. The lining is a little lumpy and it should be reversed to create a better surface. The paint layer could be cleaned slightly more than it is at present. The retouches, some of which are visible under ultraviolet light, are in the background around the grapevine, in the lower left corner, in a small tear in the plums and peaches, and in the background around the hanging bunch of grapes. A fresh restoration, including the lining, may well produce a considerably sharper and brighter image of this painting, which is overall in very good condition.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Although he was a pupil of the portrait and genre painter Constantijn Netscher, Roepel specialized in fruit and flower still lifes, and except for a brief sojourn in Germany, remained in his native city of The Hague until his death.  The high quality and finish of his works attracted an international clientele.

One of the sub-genres in which Roepel specialized was the painting of still lifes in stone niches, as in the present example.  There is, in fact, a Portrait of Conraet Roepel by Richard van Bleek which depicts the artist painting just such a picture (formerly with Johnny van Haeften, London; the still-life element painted and signed by Roepel himself).¹  The present painting is very similar to another example in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (inv. A 337).²  The Amsterdam picture, which is slightly smaller, shows fruit arranged in the same style of niche, with a stepped ledge, and with a ring above from which hangs a large bunch of grapes and medlars; it is signed and dated 1721, thus suggesting a similar dating for the present work. 

We are grateful to Fred Meijer of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, The Hague, for endorsing the attribution to Roepel, based on photographs. 

1  see R.J.A. te Rijdt, "Een getekend portret van Coenraet Roepel door Richard vam Bleeck," Bulletin van het Rijksmuseum, 39, 1991, nr. 1, pp. 113-119, illus., fig. 3. 

2  see P.J.J. van Thiel, All the paintings of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1976, p. 478, nr. A 337.