Floris van Dijck

In the family of present collector since before 1935.

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 on copper has been varnished and retouched probably ten years ago. Although it could be hung as is in its current frame, the surface is most likely still dirty. The copper appears to have been originally hammered and very slight undulations are visible here and there to the panel itself, however these are not the result of any movement since the picture was created. It is probable that there has been some paint loss along the left edge and perhaps along the bottom edge. The only restorations that are visible under ultraviolet light however are to a couple of scratches, one in the top of the glass of wine on the left side and one in the background above the same glass of wine. These restorations are reasonably proficient. Given the fact that the varnish appears to be slightly old and also dirty, under ultraviolet light it has developed a slightly milky quality. There may be retouches around the edges and possibly in the background beneath this other varnish. Nonetheless, the still life itself and the glasses seem to be in very healthy condition and there is no reason to believe that the picture is in anything but very respectable condition. We recommend a fresh restoration at this time, not only removing the recent varnish and restoration, but an old dirt layer beneath this varnish. The results will be noticeable and beneficial. There may be a few unseen retouches in the background but this effort will be well worth it.
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.

We are grateful to Fred Meijer of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, The Hague, who has examined the present painting firsthand and has confirmed it to be a work by van Dijck.  Dated 1611, it constitutes an important early addition to this rare, but influential, artist's known oeuvre, and is his only known work on copper.

Floris van Dijck was one of the most important of the early painters of still-life subjects in Haarlem, but remarkably little is known about his life.  He was born in Delft, according to the announcement of his betrothal in Haarlem around 1575, and trained in Haarlem where he registered as a member of the Guild of St. Luke in 1610 and was elected deacon in 1637.  As part of a wealthy patrician family, van Dijck is reported traveling and painting in Italy and was in Rome circa 1600, where he met the Italian painter and draftsman Cavaliere d'Arpino.  His active career spans the 1610s and 20s; the earliest extant pictures by him are two panels signed and dated in 1610¹ and his last, a still life of fruits, in 1628.² 

In the present picture, the artist has combined a number of his favorite table elements, including fruits, nuts and glassware.  Yet here, there exists a less elaborate table spread of fewer objects on a rather narrow tabletop and on a much smaller and more intimate scale than the grand bravura displayed in his extravagant banquet spreads, such as that in the Frans Hals Museum.³  The composition of cracked and half-eaten walnuts and hazelnuts sparsely and carefully placed about the roemer and overturned wine glass, is a departure from these bancketgen (small banquets), for which van Dijck, together with his contemporaries, Nicolaes Gillisz and Floriz van Schooten, established many of the essential characteristics.

Van Dijck's artistic sensibilities shine brilliantly, if not more, in this smaller painting with his rather meticulous display and arrangement of foodstuffs, characterized by a high vantage point, even lighting and a dark background.  His studious care for strawberries recurs in a charming watercolor study on paper in the Royal Library, the Hague, dated 1624 (see fig. 1).  The group of strawberries are so carefully conceived and built up in such seamless brushstrokes that it is not difficult for one to imagine the feel of the strawberries on the fingertips. 

The reflections of latticed windows upon the roemer and wine glass provide a glance into the presence outside the picture plane, making a departure from the self-contained world of the still life. The mingling of textures, shadows, and colors shows an unexpected delight of familiar objects, unrivaled in his other large-scale still lifes.

 

1  Currently in private collections: one sold, London, Sotheby's, December 8, 2004, lot 16, reproduced; the other reproduced in S. Segal, A Prosperous Past, Delft 1988, p. 86.
2  See E. de Jongh, Still-life in the age of Rembrandt, exhibition catalogue, Auckland City Art Gallery 1982, pp. 58-59, cat. no. 2, reproduced.
3  Inv. no. 79; see E. Gemar-Koeltzsch, Holländische Stillebenmaler im 17. Jahrhundert, Lingen 1995, vol. 2, p. 292, no. 98/2, reproduced p. 292.