Meiffren Conte

With Galerie Heim-Gairac, Paris;
From whom purchased by the present collector, 1970. 

Paris, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais; New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, France in the Golden Age: Seventeenth Century French Paintings in American Collections, 29 January — 28 November 1982, no. 21.

"Le commerce: Meiffren Conte réapparaît," in Connaissance des Arts, February 1970, p. 37, reproduced;
M. Faré, Le grand siècle de la nature morte en France: le XVIIe siècle, Fribourg 1974, pp. 226-227, reproduced;
N. Volle, in P. Alfonsi et. al (ed.), La peinture en Provence au XVIIe siècle, Marseilles 1978, pp. 18, 168, reproduced p. 167;
P. Rosenberg, France in the Golden Age: Seventeenth Century French Paintings in American Collections, exhibition catalogue, New York 1982, pp. 198, 239-240, cat. no. 21, reproduced p. 208.

The canvas has a modern glue relining. The paint surface is well preserved, with a lovely impasto, particularly throughout the silverware and the fruits. The flowers and the background at right have perhaps lost a little detail but the image overall remains very strong and impressive. Inspection under UV light is impeded somewhat by the varnish. There appears to be scattered older retouching in the shoulder of the Hercules statue. Fine retouching addressing the craquelure through the fruits. There is a possible old repaired scratch or tear in the background along the lower edge below the gold jug. There is a small retouched loss in the shell and further losses scattered in the darker tones at the right side. There appears to be a possible old filled damage, visible in raking light running vertically along the right edge, possibly from the stretcher bar. The painting presents a strong and impressive image and is ready to hang in its current state. It is offered in an elaborately carved gilt wood frame.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Meiffren Conte, master painter of Louis XIV's ships in Marseilles, is best recognized for his compositions that are crowded with elaborate and rich objects.  Many of the objects included in his paintings appear to have been inspired by the tableware that once formed the king's collection at Versailles.  This painting includes a large dish adorned with a coat of arms, a gilt ewer decorated with a processional group, and a Hercules candlestick.  The last item closely resembles one of the twelve royally commissioned candlesticks depicting the labors of the Roman demi-god, which were designed by Charles Le Brun and delivered by Thomas Merlin and René Cousinet.  Conte reused many items in his paintings, and the same torch also appears, for example, in two of his still lifes in the Château de Versailles: Still Life with Hercules Candlestick and Two Ewers and Still Life with Hercules Candlestick  (inv. nos. MV 8919 and MV 8555).¹

1. See C. Arminjon, Quand Versailles était meublé d'argent, exhibition catalogue, pp. 239-240, cat. nos. 32-33, reproduced p. 37, fig. 15 and p. 76, fig. 62.