Juan de Arellano

Private Collection, Madrid;
With Manuel Gonzalez, Madrid, circa 1960;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 14 December 1977, lot 25, for £25,000, where purchased by R. Feigen;
Patrick Gallagher;
By whom sold, London, Sotheby's, 17 November 1982, lot 18 for £28,000;
With Noortman & Brod, London;
From whom acquired by the father of the present owner.

Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional, Floreros y Bodegones en la Pintura Española, 11 May - 20 June 1935, cat. nos. 48 and 49.

J. Cavestany, Floreros y Bodegones en la Pintura Española, Madrid 1936 (published 1940), p.157, cat. nos. 48 and 49, reproduced plate XLIII, fig. 11;
I. Bergström, Maestros Españoles de Bodegones y Floreros del Siglo XVII, Madrid 1970, p. 62, reproduced figs. 43 and 44;
A.E. Perez Sanchez (ed), Juan de Arellano, 1614-1676, exhibition catalogue, Madrid 1998, pp. 56-57, reproduced p. 56, figs. 8 and 9.

The following condition report is provided by Hamish Dewar, who is an external expert and not an employee of Sotheby's. UNCONDITIONAL AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE Structural Condition The canvases are both lined onto heavy wooden stretchers which are structurally sound and secure. The paint surfaces have reasonably even varnish layers with just very minor surface abrasions. Paint Surface Inspection under ultra-violet light shows both paintings to have a varnish layer which prevents the identification of retouchings under ultra-violet light. The only retouchings that can be seen are very small spots and one larger area in the lower right corner of the still life with the jug in the top left. This retouching measures approximately 2 x 2 cm. Summary The paintings are therefore in stable condition but it is not possible to accurately assess the extent of retouching in the past due to the nature of the varnish layers. It would appear however that the fine details of the still lives are well preserved and are essentially in good condition.
"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."

This elegant pair of still lifes by Arellano, both signed and dated 1665, have not been offered at auction since 1982 and have been in the same private collection since the mid 1980s. Both paintings, which are in remarkably fresh condition, are virtual mirror images of each other thus forming a perfectly balanced pair. Though the strong chiaroscuro effect is quite in keeping with his work in the 1660s, the designs are somewhat unusual in Arellano's oeuvre and provide interesting variants to the more customary flowers in vases and baskets for which he is best known (see the following two lots). The inclusion of stone ledges looks back to earlier Spanish compositions popularised by Juan van der Hamen while the colouring and modelling of the flowers points to artists like the Italian Mario Nuzzi under whose influence Arellano came later in his career. We are grateful to Dr Peter Cherry for noting that the designs were later adapted by Arellano's son-in-law and student Bartolomé Pérez (1634-1693). We are also grateful to Dr William Jordan for elucidating certain aspects of the provenance.