Alexander Adriaenssen

H. Asa Thomas, until 1944, by whom sold;
London, Christie's, 17 March 1944, lot 77;
Nicholas Argenti collection, London, 1944-1945;
With Eugene Slatter Arts, London, 1944-1948;
Viscount Fitzharris sale, London, Christie's, 2 December 1949, lot 118;
Acquired by the present collector in 1962.

E. Greindl, Les peintres flamands de nature morte au dix-septième siècle,  Brussels 1956, pp. 42 and 148;
E. Greindl, Les peintres flamands de nature morte au dix-septième siècle,  Sterrebeek 1983, pp. 57 and 333, no. 10;
G. Spiessens, Leven en werk van de Antwerpse schilder Alexander Adriaenssen (1587-1661), Brussels 1990, pp. 126-127, no. 43, reproduced fig. 28.

Panel has been cradled. the surface is clean and painting is presentable as is. there is generally good retention of the paint surface with nice detail throughout most of the picture. there is some slight thinness to the green table cloth and grapes. a small gouge with paint loss can be seen in background to right of the flowers. examination under UV light reveals some very small retouches here and there on crabs and some on grapes. there appears to have been some selective cleaning around signature at lower left. difficult to see anything more under the varnish. Offered in a plain brown 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.

Alexander Adriaenssen began an apprenticeship in the workshop of Artus van Laeck in 1597 at the age of 10 and is listed as a master of the painters’ guild from 1610.  All of Adriaenssen’s known works are still lifes, a number of which are dated and prominently signed with his full name in a manner similar to the present painting.  His compositions are well balanced, suffused with soft chiaroscuro, with the textures of surfaces skillfully and convincingly reproduced.  Peter Mitchell published a very similar composition, dated the same year and of almost identical measurements in which the artist exchanged the long-stemmed tazza for a slightly deeper glass and shifted the position of the butterfly, closer to the platter, the bread to the left of the glassware and adding fallen petals at the corner of the table, lower left.¹

1.  P. Mitchell, European Flower Painters, London 1973, p.33, reproduced p.34, fig. 33.