- 155
Edwaert Collier
Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 GBP
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Description
- Edwaert Collier
- Vanitas still life with a globe, a violin and bow, lemon peel, a recorder, a musical score, an open book, an hour glass and other objects
- signed and dated on piece of paper lower centre: Edward. Collier. fecit and inscribed on a piece of paper in the centre: HAEC MEA / VOLUP. / TAS. ('This is my pleasure')
- oil on canvas
Provenance
Spencer collection;
Acquired by Paul Rich, 1970;
With Peter Tillou, Litchfield, CT, 1970–90;
Private Collection, Lima, Peru, from 1990;
With Peter Tillou, Litchfield Connecticut, 2011, from whom acquired by the present owner.
Acquired by Paul Rich, 1970;
With Peter Tillou, Litchfield, CT, 1970–90;
Private Collection, Lima, Peru, from 1990;
With Peter Tillou, Litchfield Connecticut, 2011, from whom acquired by the present owner.
Condition
The painting has an old stable relinging and is in very good overall condition. It has been recently cleaned and well restored. There is one old 5cm restored tear in the recorder in the centre, otherwiese there are only a few smaller scattered repairs.
"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."
"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
Collier's favoured compositions usually consisted of elements present in this work, such as the globe, the violin, the recorders and the meticulously rendered sheet music and well-thumbed printed copy of Johannes Leunclavius’s Apology for Zosimus, published in 1684. All the elements come together with the inclusion of the foreboding MEMENTO MORI sign in the upper right of the composition, reminding us that the globe and hour glass indicate our time on earth is running out, and that the snapped strings of the violin warn of the impermanence of life’s worldly pleasures.
Edwaert Collier moved from Leiden to London in 1693 after separating from his third wife in eleven years. He stayed in London until at least 1702 and perhaps as late as 1706. He painted vanitas still-lifes in the Leiden tradition throughout his career for both the Dutch and English markets. It is probable that this work was executed during Collier's time in England given the anglicised version of his signature and the inclusion of the image of Sir Anthony van Dyck, the pre-eminent court painter in early seventeenth-century England.