Martinus Nellius

Anonymous sale, Munich, Neumeister, 24-26 September 1969, lot 1448 (as by Jan Davidsz. de Heem).

The actual painting is more open and softer in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The canvas has a fairly recent relining (wax) and is a bit undulant in the upper left corner. There is a repaired tear of approx. 3 cm. in the upper right corner. The paint surface seems to be in good condition. A few restored paint losses can be seen, e.g. one in the grapes and underneath the lemon. The paint layer has a tiny tendency towards cupping in the lower left part, but furthermore seems to be stable. No other major damages are apparent. There appear to be discoloured retouchings in the grapes. The paint layer is under a clear and shiny varnish layer. Inspection under UV light is partly impeded by the thick and unevenly cleaned varnish layer. It does however reveal some retouchings in the background, some strengthenings in the grapes and a small retouching above the lemon peel. Offered in a brown painted cabinet style frame, in good condition.(MvE/ML)
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We are grateful to Fred G. Meijer of the R.K.D., The Hague, for confirming the attribution to Martinus Nellius. Nellius, who is first documented in Leiden in 1674, and in The Hague from 1676 onwards, mainly painted small scale still lifes that usually depict fruit, flowers and glass- or stoneware.

The rendering of the grapes, the orange, the lemon and the quinces, with their somewhat blurry contours, in contrast to the detailed depiction of the porcelain and the butterflies, is very characteristic for the artist. Another distinct feature in many of Nellius' compositions, as in this painting, is the sheet of paper, often folded as a small paper bag in which tobacco was sold, inscribed with the word 'almanac'. See for example the one sold, London, Sotheby's, 5 July 2007, lot 149.