Old Master Paintings

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Lot 64
  • 64

Pieter Claesz.

Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 EUR
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Description

  • Pieter Claesz.
  • Still life with a roemer, a crab, a half-peeled lemon, and a bread roll on pewter plates, a basket with fruit, and a Chinese bowl with olives, all arranged on a draped table

  • signed in monogram and dated centre left: PC(in compendium)/ 1652

  • oil on panel

Condition

The actual painting is less red and softer in tone, than the catalogue illustration suggests. The panel, which consists of two planks, joined horizontally, is bevelled to the left and right edge, and is flat and stable. One small crack can be seen upper left, along the edge, as well as one tiny scratch in the lower left corner. The paint surface is furthermore in very good condition, with much of the impastos nicely preserved. The background has grown a bit thin in places. The paint surface is under a fine layer of dirt and discoloured varnish, Inspection under Ultra Violet light reveals tiny scattered retouchings in the background, glass, and some minor strengthening around the grapes, in the cloth, and plates. Offered in a giltwood frame with a decorative stone inlay, in good condition. (ML)
"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."

Catalogue Note

In his later years Pieter Claesz. started to paint in a looser and painterly manner than that of  the 1620s-40s, when his works were still very smooth and precise. The present work, with its date of 1652, fits this later manner perfectly and can be compared to other works dated in the early and mid 1650s. One such is now in the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo (inv. no. 58-16), which can be dated around 1654, and shows a similar free handling of paint in the basket with grapes, as well as in the bowl with olives and in other similar items on the table.1

We are grateful to Fred G. Meijer of the R.K.D., The Hague, for confirming the attribution on the basis of first hand inspection.

1. See M. Brunner-Bulst, Pieter Claesz., Lingen 2004, p. 330, cat. no. 210, reproduced.