Circle of Georg Flegel

With Jacob M. Heimann, New York;
From whom acquired by Anne R. and Amy Putnam;
By whom gifted to the Fine Arts Gallery, San Diego, in 1944 (inv. no. 44:9).

Indianapolis, Herron Museum of Art; San Diego, The Fine Arts Gallery, The Young Rembrandt and His Times:  A Loan Exhibition of Dutch Painting of the First Four Decades of the Seventeenth Century, 14 February - 18 May 1958, no. 70 (as Balthasar van der Ast);
New Orleans, New Orleans Museum of Art, Fêtes de la Palette, 22 November 1962 - 6 January 1963, no. 13 (as Balthasar van der Ast).

W.R. Valentiner, Art News, XLIII, January 1945, p. 41, reproduced p. 13 (as Balthasar van der Ast);
J.G. Andrews, A Catalogue of European paintings, 1300-1870, San Diego 1947, p. 119, reproduced (as Balthasar van der Ast);
The Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego Catalogue, San Diego 1960, p. 26, reproduced (as Balthasar van der Ast);
W. J. Müller, Der Maler Georg Flegel und die Anfänge des Stillebens Schriften des Historischen Museums, Frankfurt am Main 1956, pp. 133, 162, cat. no. 30, reproduced plate 34 (as Georg Flegel);
S. Segal, "Georg Flegel as flower painter," in Tableau, 7, December 1984, pp. 76-77 (as Georg Flegel);
K. Wettengl, Georg Flegel 1566-1638 Stilleben, exhibition catalogue, Stuttgart 1999, p. 305 (as erroneously attributed to Georg Flegel);
A. Ketelsen-Volkhardt, Georg Flegel: 1566-1638, Munich and Berlin 2003, pp. 90, 115, 136, 184-185, 187, cat. no. 10, fig. 60, reproduced (as possibly a late work or a workshop production).

The following condition report has been provided by Karen Thomas of Thomas Art Conservation LLC., 336 West 37th Street, Suite 830, New York, NY 10018, 212-564-4024, info@thomasartconservation.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting is in good condition overall with no discernable losses except for two tiny specks in the red flower. Retouching addresses wear in the bottom corners and along the bottom edge. Some degree of increased transparency has developed over time in the dark browns which has led to strengthening in the bread and nuts. This age-related increase in transparency may also account for the visibility of the gray priming layer in some areas. This is most noticeable in the orange, in the shadow beneath the bird, where upper glazes to deepen the shadow may be undermined by past cleaning(s). The even varnish has a low sheen. The wood panel support is planar with its original bevels on the reverse. The back of the panel has been varnished. This panel shows no need for conservation treatment, although a varnish revival may give a slight boost to the overall contrast of the picture.
"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."

Though once ascribed to the Dutch artist Balthasar van der Ast by W.R. Valentiner, this small and charming still-life was likely painted by a highly skilled artist close to the circle of the Moravian born painter, Georg Flegel.  A student of Lucas van Valckenborch, Flegel was active in Vienna as well as Frankfurt, where he came into contact with other still-life painters such as Pieter Binoit and Daniel Soreau.  Flegel defined himself within this community of still-life artists through his simple, refined, and unadorned still-lifes of food and desserts, characterized by a precise attention to detail and a clear interest in capturing the nuances of texture and light, as well as his delicate watercolors.  Two small and vivid goldfinches, one placed on the rim of a porcelain plate and the other balancing precariously on a piece of fruit, enliven this restrained still life set upon a simple stone ledge and against a stark background.  With their beaks nearly touching, the two form a strong diagonal that provides a pleasing balance to the circular forms of the glass vase, the round and shallow plate, and the various fruit that fill the remainder of the scene.  Comparable works by Flegel can be found in the National Gallery of Prague¹ as well as in a private collection.²

1. Inv. no. O1275, oil on panel, 22 by 18 cm.  See Wettengl, in Literature, p. 138, cat. no. 48, reproduced.
2. Oil on panel, 31.4 by 24.9 cm.  Ibid., p. 136, cat. no. 47, reproduced p. 137.