Cornelis Jansz. de Heem, David Cornelisz. de Heem

Possibly anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 7 June 1929, lot 65 (as J. van Huysum), to Loveless;
Sir William Churchman Bt (1864-1947);
Thence by descent and anonymously sold ("The Property of a Gentleman"), London, Sotheby's, 6 December 1995, lot 49;
With Johnny van Haeften, London, 2002.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The lining on the reverse of this work is old, but it has been more recently cleaned. The paint layer is stable; the cracking is slightly raised but certainly not unattractive. The work is very hard to read under ultraviolet light, but there do not appear to be any structural damages, and the flowers and fruit seem to be very well preserved. One often sees weakness in ochre colors from this period, but the one yellow flower seems to be healthy. The retouches and condition certainly cannot be criticized.
"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."

Fred Meijer has previously inspected this work and supports an attribution to both Cornelis de Heem and David Davidsz. de Heem, the son and grandson of Jan Davidsz. de Heem, respectively. Both father and son learned their craft through Jan Davidsz., in whose studio Cornelis trained. Cornelis entered the guild of Antwerp himself in 1660, and moved to Utrecht with his father to work from June to December 1667.

In the past there has been misunderstanding regarding the identification of David de Heem, Cornelis' only son, and works attributed to his hand. Such confusion is rooted in the fact that his style closely resembles that of his father, and the two often collaborated on pictures together, as appears to be the case here. Such collaborative efforts were likely training exercises, as they usually date from David's early maturity. David moved from Antwerp to The Hague after 1693, but is mentione only once thereafter in a document ascribed to his widow in 1714.