Spiders, snakes and caterpillars entwined to spell the artist's name

Details

After Jan van Kessel I
Spiders, snakes and caterpillars entwined to spell the artist's name
with signature 'JoAn vAn / Kessel' (centre)
oil on panel
5 ½ x 7 ½ in. (14 x 19 cm.)

Provenance

with Gebr. Douwes, Amsterdam, c. 1925.
with Goudstikker, Amsterdam, 1926, cat. no. 80, ill., until 1933 with 16 others in one frame
with Kunsthandel de Boer, Amsterdam, 1934-5 (a set of seventeen, framed separately).
Anonymous Sale; Christie's, London, 27 June 1975, lot 65, ill. (only this panel).

Exhibited

Het Stilleven, Goudstikker, Amsterdam, 1933, cat. no. 180 (17 panels in one frame)
Vienna, organized by Kunsthandel De Boer and Galerie Sanct Lucas, Vienna, Palais Pallavicini, Die jüngeren Brueghel und ihr Kreis, March-April 1935, no. 110, as 'Jan van Kessel'.

Brought to you by

Lucy Cox

lcox@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2243

Lot Essay

This work is after Jan van Kessel's prototype of 1657, sold at Sotheby's, London, 3 December 2014, lot 36.

Jan van Kessel’s close observations of the natural world typified the spirit of the Scientific Revolution, a period that witnessed the transformation of society’s conception of nature. His beautifully intricate cabinet paintings were always highly prized for their inventive, whimsical and hyper-realistic qualities. This excellent copy of van Kessel’s prototype is demonstrative of the continued interest in his work into the Age of Enlightenment, when similar value was placed on scientific precision.

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