Abraham Brueghel

The canvas has been relined. The paint surface is secure and good quality impasto is present throughout the flowers and the urn. The colours remain strong and the surface is clean. Slight frame abrasion is visible around the four corners of the canvas. There is a small horizontal band of paint loss in a leaf of the rose at the lower right and a very small fleck of paint loss next to the pink chrysanthemum at the upper centre. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals an even varnish. A diagonal band of retouching measuring approximately 8 cm can be seen in the prominent pink chrysanthemum at lower centre and a 6 cm horizontal band of retouching in the lower right tulip. Overall the work is in excellent condition. The lot is offered in a carved wood frame with painted brown marble effect, with a few knocks.
"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."

The son of Jan Brueghel II, Abraham Brueghel was born in Antwerp but spent the majority of his career in Italy, where he was to become one of the foremost still-life specialists of the time. His early years in Italy, from 1659, were spent in Rome, learning to paint in the manner of Mario Nuzzi, Michelangelo Cerquozzi and Michelangelo Pace. By 1676 he had moved to Naples, bringing with him the monumental style he had developed in Rome. 

The present work, executed in Naples, is unusual in its size and vertical format, as well as being both signed and dated. Brueghel's Northern spirit is in evidence, revealed by his eagerness to seize upon classical Italian motifs, here demonstrated by an ornate silver vase of a type which makes an appearance in several other compositions, for instance the signed Still Life of Fruit and Flowers in Rotterdam, Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen.¹

^1. See N. Spinosa in La natura morta in Italia, vol II., Milan 1989, p. 790, reproduced plate. 927.