Lot Essay
As pointed out by Titia van Leeuwen in Still life in the Age of Rembrandt, exhibition catalogue, Auckland City Art Gallery, 1982, p. 169, Cornelis de Heem was one of Jan Davidsz. de Heem's most faithfull pupils. His handling sometimes comes very close to that of his famous father.
The present lot connects in part with the still life in the Gemäldegalerie, Dresden (see Gemäldegalerie Dresden Alte Meister Katalog der ausgestellten Werke, 1992, p. 229, no. 1224, with ill.). This picture has a pendant showing oysters and a roemer (Gemäldegalerie Dresden; op.cit, no. 1225); thus it is possible that the present lot was also one of a pair.
Dr Sam Segal has kindly specified the flowers, which are:
1 MulberriesMorus alba2 Seville OrangeCitrus aurantium3 StrawberriesFragaria vesca4 GooseberriesRibes uva-crisp5 LemonCitrus limon6 PodsPisum sativum7 MargueriteLeucanthemum vulgare8 Provins Roserosa x provincialis9 MallowMalva alcea10 Red Turban Cap LilyLilium chalcedonicum11 BittersweetSolanum dulcamara12 Opium PoppyPapaver somniferum cinnamomeum plenum13 Yellow RoseRosa foetida14 White RoseRosa x alba plena15 ColumbineAquilegia vulgaris subplena16 York and Lancaster RoseRosa damascena Versicolor17 Caraway (?)Carum carvi18 HoneysuckleLonicera periclymenum19 Spear ThistleCirsium vulgare20 Seville OrangeCitrus aurantium21 Sand LeekAllium scorodoprasum22 Opium PoppyPapaver somniferum (botanic form)23 French RoseRosa gallica semiduplex24 Pot MarigoldCalendula officinalis aurantiaca semiplena25 Small Morning GloryConvolvulus tricolor26 CherriesPrunus cerasus27 Black MustardBrassica nigra
a Large WhitePieris brassicaeb Stone Bumble BeeBombus lapidariusc Garden SnailCepaea hortensis
See colour illustration
The present lot connects in part with the still life in the Gemäldegalerie, Dresden (see Gemäldegalerie Dresden Alte Meister Katalog der ausgestellten Werke, 1992, p. 229, no. 1224, with ill.). This picture has a pendant showing oysters and a roemer (Gemäldegalerie Dresden; op.cit, no. 1225); thus it is possible that the present lot was also one of a pair.
Dr Sam Segal has kindly specified the flowers, which are:
1 MulberriesMorus alba2 Seville OrangeCitrus aurantium3 StrawberriesFragaria vesca4 GooseberriesRibes uva-crisp5 LemonCitrus limon6 PodsPisum sativum7 MargueriteLeucanthemum vulgare8 Provins Roserosa x provincialis9 MallowMalva alcea10 Red Turban Cap LilyLilium chalcedonicum11 BittersweetSolanum dulcamara12 Opium PoppyPapaver somniferum cinnamomeum plenum13 Yellow RoseRosa foetida14 White RoseRosa x alba plena15 ColumbineAquilegia vulgaris subplena16 York and Lancaster RoseRosa damascena Versicolor17 Caraway (?)Carum carvi18 HoneysuckleLonicera periclymenum19 Spear ThistleCirsium vulgare20 Seville OrangeCitrus aurantium21 Sand LeekAllium scorodoprasum22 Opium PoppyPapaver somniferum (botanic form)23 French RoseRosa gallica semiduplex24 Pot MarigoldCalendula officinalis aurantiaca semiplena25 Small Morning GloryConvolvulus tricolor26 CherriesPrunus cerasus27 Black MustardBrassica nigra
a Large WhitePieris brassicaeb Stone Bumble BeeBombus lapidariusc Garden SnailCepaea hortensis
See colour illustration