Attributed to Joris van Son

P. J. P. H. Priestee, The Hague;

Anonymous sale, Sotheby Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 30 November 1981, lot 87 (as attributed to Joris van Son);

Where acquired by Leegenhoek;

Anonymous sale, Christie's, London, 12 December 1986, lot 11 (as by Jan van Kessel the Elder);

With Norbert Pokutta, Munich, 1987;

Anonymous sale, Christie's, London, 7 July 1989, lot 43 (as by Joris van Son);

With Robert Noortman, Maastricht and London;

Anonymous sale, Sotheby's, London, 5 July 2018, lot 150 (as by Joris van Son);

Where acquired in after-sale.

Probably drawn from a work by Jan Davidsz. De Heem, this composition, which was much admired, depicts a lemon on a silver plate, some oysters, a rummer, cherries and a bunch of grapes. Its popularity is borne out by the numerous known copies: for example one by Jan van Kessel the Elder, dated 1655 (Kroměříž Castle, inv./cat.no. KE 3171) and another by Thomas van Apshoven, which can be seen in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Dresden (inv./cat.no. 1217). The present composition is another example, of very fine quality: the detail of the drops of water, the reflections in the glass and the transparency of the cherries are evidence of the great mastery of the artist, who unfortunately cannot currently be identified. Attributed in the twentieth century by turn to Joris van Son and Jan van Kessel the Elder, neither of these names today seem acceptable for our painting.