Cornelis de Heem

With Schwarz, Berlin, in 1920;

Collection Mrs R. M. Bogtman-Gratama, Heemstede;

By whom sold, Sothebys, London, 30 June 1965, lot 99;

With A. van der Meer, Amsterdam;

Where acquired, in December 1965;

By inheritance to the present owner.

Son of the famous Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606–1684), whom he studied under, Cornelis is considered one of the most accomplished still-life painters of the Dutch Golden Age. Born in Leiden in 1631, he moved with his family to Antwerp in 1636 and was admitted to the Guild of Saint Luke in 1660. He was active in both the Northern and Southern Netherlands, working in Utrecht, The Hague, and Antwerp, where he died in 1695.

Cornelis de Heem’s still lifes often feature precious and expensive fruits with an opulence and ostentation inherited from his father’s works. The grapes, figs, lemon, and apricots depicted here come from the Mediterranean region and were very costly for Dutch consumers. They thus attest to the wealth of the work’s owner.

De Heem frequently reused certain elements in his compositions, which allows for the establishment of a stylistic chronology of his work. Signed on the entablature, this painting is typical of the 1670s.