Attributed to Gillis Gillisz. de Bergh

Bought by the father of the present owner in the early 1930s.

The actual painting is softer in tone, especially in the reds than the catalogue illustration suggests. The panel seems to consist of 2 planks, joined horizontally and is cradled and lightly bevelled on the left and right sides. The panel is slightly bowed, resulting in a minor tendency towards cupping. The paint surface is a bit abraded in the background, but otherwise, seems to be in good condition. Retouching is visible along the join, and small discoloured retouchings relating to older paint losses can be observed in the background upper centre, upper right and left, in the earthenware jug and in the table lower centre left. There is some strengthening in the plates, in the leaves of the pears and in the cherries. The paint surface is covered with a slightly dirty layer of varnish. The craquelure pattern is fine and dense. Inspection under ultra violet light confirms the retouchings as mentioned above, and reveals additional tiny retouchings in the white cloth, in the bun, in the strawberries and in the tazza. Offered in a pain wood frame with inner and outer gilt borders, in good condition. (MW)
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Although the still lifes of Gillis Gillisz. de Bergh are varied in style, this charming still life of a set table with bowls of delicious fruits includes some of De Bergh's main characteristics. The rendering of the pears, with their greenish tones, as well as the depiction and handling of the white porcelain bowls is found in many of his still lifes, such as the signed work recorded in Lorenzelli's Orbis Pictus, depicting the same bowl and pears.¹ The rather harsh handling of the light on the pewter plate and the jug is also reminiscent of a work by De Bergh offered Paris, Tajan, 18 December 2002, lot 28. This still life was wrongly dated as 1672, but given its style, it is, like the present work, much more likely to have been painted in the 1620s.

In these years De Bergh must have been inspired by the artists in his circle and especially those from his hometown of Delft. He was strongly influenced by Cornelis Jacobsz. Delff (1571-1643), and possibly his pupil, he is known to have repeated one of Delff's paintings of 1625. De Bergh joined the Delft painters guild in 1624 and never seems to have left it. Although mainly known as a painter of still lifes, there are also a few portraits and figure paintings known by his hand.²

1. See P. Lorenzelli, Orbis pictus : natura morta in Germania, Olanda, Fiandre, XVI-XVIII secolo, Bergamo 1986, p. 157, no. 20.
2. See A. van der Willigen and F.G. Meijer, A Dictionary of Dutch and Flemish Still-life Painters Working in Oils, 1525-1725, Leiden 2003, p. 36.