Lot 224
  • 224

Dirk Valkenburg

Estimate
30,000 - 40,000 GBP
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Description

  • Dirk Valkenburg
  • Still life with dead game and an ornate vase
  • signed and dated centre right on the vase: Valkenburg fecit 1713
  • oil on canvas

Provenance

Achille Fould, 1860, Minister of Finances under Napoleon III;
Private collection, France.

Condition

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The original canvas is lined and the paint layer is raised but stable, including along the stretcher marks. There is thinness to the foliage in the mid ground and to the head of the dead duck in the foreground, left. Pale shrinkage cracquelure is visible in the darker passages. The painting is in good original condition and removing the slightly discoloured varnish would improve the tonality. Offered in a good carved gilt wood frame."
"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."

Catalogue Note

Dirk Valkenburg was Jan Weenix's only known pupil and, like his master, specialized in gamepieces. The composition is typical of the artist, showing off his ability to sensitively portray the effects of light on different textures, from the ornate vase to the hare's detailed fur.
The hare hanging from its hind leg beside two partridges is a motif often employed by the artist. The work should be compared to a similar but less sumptious work sold in these Rooms, 11 December 1996, lot 179, for £37,000.


Achille Fould (1800-1867) was a celebrated and influential financier who served four times as minister of finance under Napoleon III. He became a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1857.