Willem van Aelst

Possibly Pallavicini collection, Budapest;
Mrs. Lawrence Broderick;
By whom sold, London, Sotheby's, 23 July 1924, lot 61;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 9 February 1925, included in lot 57;
Purchased at a small auction in New York, circa 1951.

Providence 1964, no. 1;
New York, Finch College 1966, no. 1;
Zurich, David Koetser Gallery, Fine Old Master Paintings Principally of the Dutch and Flemish Schools, 1990-1991, cat. no 13 (on loan);
New Orleans 1997, no. 1;
Baltimore 1999, no. 1;
Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts, and Washington, National Gallery of Art, Elegance and Refinement, The Still-Life Paintings of Willem van Aelst, 11 March – 14 October 2012, no. 1.    

Providence 1964, cat. no. 1, reproduced fig. 1;
New Orleans 1997, p. 2, cat. no. 1, reproduced p. 3;
Baltimore 1999, p. 2, cat. no. 1, reproduced p. 3;
T. Paul in Elegance and Refinement, The Still-Life Paintings of Willem van Aelst, exhibition catalogue Houston and Washington 2012, p. 93, cat. no. 1, reproduced.

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. This work on copper is in slightly uneven condition. The copper panel itself has an unusual grid-like texture that is particularly visible on the right side. There is also what appears to be an old fold in the copper running vertically through the right side of the primary peach. Cleaning the work is not recommended, and the work should probably be hung in its current state.
"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."

This very early work by Van Aelst has a simplicity and intimacy that set it apart from his later, more ornate compositions.  As such it reflects the influence of Ambrosius Bosschaert and Balthasar van der Ast, the latter of whom moved to Delft in 1632.  The muted coloring and brushwork also reveal the influence of the these artists working in the Middelburg style.  Using a remarkable economy of means, he differentiates the smooth, translucent skin of the grapes from the fuzzy skin of the peach.  

Van Aelst left Delft for France in 1645 or 1646, so he would have painted the present work shortly before he left or early in his stay in France.  Later in his career he relished devising more complex compositions with brighter colors and stronger lighting and also became famous for his game pieces.  However, this small copper, with its restricted scope and palette, directly appeals to the contemporary viewer.