Lot 20
  • 20

Jan van Kessel the Elder

Estimate
300,000 - 400,000 USD
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Description

  • Jan Van Kessel the Elder
  • A Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and other insects with shells and a sprig of borage (Borago officinalis)
  • oil on copper

Condition

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 recently restored and should be hung as is. The copper panel has been reinforced around the edges with wood. The surface is now flat and stable, with only a slight disturbance in the lower left corner. The paint layer is clean, varnished and retouched. Retouches are visible under ultraviolet light in the white background and in the objects in the elements of the still life itself. The retouching has been beautifully applied and although some thinness has developed over time, the picture looks well and should be hung as is.
"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

Jan van Kessel the Elder's delightful painting on copper of butterflies, insects and flowers was probably made to decorate a collector's cabinet which contained naturalia. Sets of such paintings were produced, making up an even number and arranged round a central painting. Perhaps influenced by Joris Hoefnagel's (1542-1601) exquisite gouache studies of insects, van Kessel started to paint this type of composition in the first half of the 1650s; the earliest dated examples are from 1653 (a set of five with Richard Green in 1975). He produced them well into the 1660s, but most dated examples are from the 1650s.

Kessel's work is inspired by collections of naturalia - including insects pinned to boards - which were very popular items of display in the seventeenth century. Here each insect, shell or flower is studied individually, each with its different angle and shadow. The use of a white background, typical of van Kessel's insect studies, allows for a sharp focus on the shape and textures of the creatures and throws their brilliant colours into relief. It is particularly successful here in the depiction of the flamboyant Swallowtail butterfly and of the intense blue of the borage flowers.

Jacob Weyerman, who was taught by van Kessel's son Ferdinand, records that Jan frequently worked from nature, as well making use of illustrated scientific texts. The present painting reflects the seventeenth century fascination with natural science and also praises the variety of "God's Creation," which is drawn together in a decorative ensemble. The wide choice of elements in the present painting belongs to the later development of this type of work by van Kessel: in earlier examples the emphasis is placed on insects and butterflies alone.

Another version on copper of this composition, of the same size, signed and dated 1659, was with Richard Green in 1997. An unsigned version of the composition, probably a studio work with some help from the master, is in the Frits Lugt Collection (Fondation Custodia), Paris. A copy of the lower left part of the present composition was at Christie's, London, 24 February 1984, lot 15.