Abraham van Beijeren

Please note that this painting is being offered for sale under a settlement agreement between the current possessor of the painting and the heirs of Jakob and Rosa Oppenheimer. The settlement agreement resolves the dispute over ownership of this painting and full title to the painting will pass to the successful bidder.

Collection P. v. Semeonoff, St. Petersburg;
With Galerie van Diemen, Berlin;
Their sale, Berlin, Paul Graupe, 26/27 April 1935, vol. II, lot 3;
Collection Arthur von Daehne, Switzerland;
Private Collection, Germany.

The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg (inv. no. 2861, according to the reverse);
Amsterdam, Kunsthandel J.Goudstikker, Het stilleven, 18 February - 26 March 1933, no. 15 (according to a label on the reverse).

The actual painting is warmer and less yellow in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The canvas has a stiff relining (wax). The paint surface is somewhat flattened, due to the relining, and has grown thin in places, particularly in the glass, in the leaves in the background, and in the drapery in the foreground. Some small retouches can be observed in the cherries, in the pewter plate, and in the drapery. The paint surface is covered with a glossy layer of varnish and with a fine craquelure pattern. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals a small spot of retouching in the lower left corner, and additional tiny scattered retouchings in the fruit and flowers, and in the glass. Offered in a decorative carved gilt wood frame, in good condition. (MW)
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

According to the Berlin sales catalogue of 1935, this work belonged to the collection of P.v. Semeonoff, St. Petersburg (cat. no. 38) and was among other works in his collection in the Hermitage Museum, before 1935.