- 486
Edwaert Collier
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 USD
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Description
- Edwaert Collier
- Vanitas still life with astrological globe, musical instruments, skull, and books on a draped table
- signed upper right: E. Coljer.
- oil on canvas
Provenance
With Alan Jacobs Gallery, London, 1987;
With Galerie d'Art Saint-Honoré, Paris, 2005.
With Galerie d'Art Saint-Honoré, Paris, 2005.
Condition
The canvas appears to be thinly relined and is stable and firm on its stretcher. The paint surface is a little dirty beneath an old, yellowed varnish and would benefit from a clean. There is a minor loss of approximately 1/8 by 1/2 inch to the frame of the globe, upper center. There is an old filled and retouched damage running in a vertical line of approximately 5 in. through the globe above the shell, one of approximately 2 in. in the scroll upper right and another of 2 in. in the background of the Caesar engraving lower right.
Inspection under ultraviolet light is hindered by the dirty varnish and little can be seen beyond the aforementioned. The paint surface overall is well preserved and will be greatly enhanced by a clean and fresh varnish.
Offered in a simply 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.
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.
Catalogue Note
Collier produced vanitas still lifes throughout his career and this characteristic example relates to similar works which the artist executed from 1687-1692, thus before his visit to London and while still working in Leiden and Amsterdam.1 Here he has included many of the standard vanitas elements that would have been instantly recognizable to his audience: the skull; the musical instruments (the fleeting pleasure of music); and the astrological globe and scholarly books, here including a history of Rome, a possible allusion to the fleeting nature of empires. All represent the transience of earthly existence and the vacuity of worldly pursuits. For further emphasis the artist has included the oft used Latin phrase Finis Coronat Opus, literally translated to "The end crowns the work", but better understood as an understanding that all things in life come to an end.
1. See RKD (Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie), The Hague, Art-work number 189267.