South German School, circa 1600

The present still life belongs to a group of trompe-l’oeil paintings likely originating in Germany or southern Austria in the sixteenth century. In all known versions of this composition, 11 illuminated initials and two passages of musical notation appear, with slight modifications to color and detail. Although the minute details and trompe-l’oeil quality seem to foreshadow still- life painting as an independent genre, the real function of this work was originally devotional. A painting from circa 1470/80 of the Virgin now at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam has on its reverse a still life of a water jug, basin, white towel, and books that symbolize the Virgin’s purity and piety. The present lot was therefore probably intended to encourage the viewer to emulate the Virgin in her devotional reading and contemplation.