Lot 116

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A Lifelong Pursuit: Important Italian Paintings from a Distinguished Private Collection

WILLEM CLAESZ. HEDA (HAARLEM 1594-1680)

Still life with a silver-gilt-mounted nautilus cup, a beaker on its side, a peeled lemon on a plate, oyster shells, a blue and white porcelain bowl, a silver salt cellar and other objects on a stone ledge, in an arched niche

Details

WILLEM CLAESZ. HEDA (HAARLEM 1594-1680)
Still life with a silver-gilt-mounted nautilus cup, a beaker on its side, a peeled lemon on a plate, oyster shells, a blue and white porcelain bowl, a silver salt cellar and other objects on a stone ledge, in an arched niche
signed and dated '·HEDA·F·1655·' (lower center, on the stone ledge, partially strengthened)
oil on panel
27 ¾ x 21 in. (70.5 x 53.4 cm.)

Provenance

Johannes Anthoie Balthasar Stroebel (1821-1905), The Hague, by 1872.
H.I.A. Raedt van Oldenbarneveldt (1828-1903), The Hague; his sale, Frederick Muller & Cie., Amsterdam, 6 November 1900, lot 42.
with Galerie Ritter Gaston von Mallmann, Berlin; their sale, Rudolph Lepke's, Berlin, 12 June 1918, lot 112.
Schwebel Collection, The Hague.
Clive Brook, Esq.; [The Property of Clove Brook, Esq.], Sotheby's, London, 7 July 1956, lot 121, to the following,
with Leger, London, by 1956.
[The Property of a Gentleman]; Bonham's, London, 8 July 1993, lot 154.
[The Property of a Private Collector]; Christie's, New York, 12 January 1994, lot 19, as Gerrit Willemsz. Heda.

Literature

N.R.A. Vroom, De Schilders van Het monochrome Banketje, Amsterdam, 1945, p. 83, 203, note 4, no. 208.
N.R.A. Vroom, A Modest Message as intimated by the Painters of the 'Monochrome Banketje', Schiedam, 1980, I; p. 76, II; pp. 78-79, no. 380.

Exhibited

Amsterdam, Arti et Amicitiae, 1872, no. 90.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Taylor Alessio Junior Specialist, Head of Part II

talessio@christies.com +1 212 636 2295

Lot Essay

Little is known about Willem Claesz. Heda’s early life and artistic training; however, by the 1630s he was already recognized as an accomplished still-life painter, best known for his monochrome breakfast pieces. His talents were acknowledged early on by the Dutch poet and minister Samuel Ampzing, who praised him alongside Salomon de Bray and Pieter Claesz. His son, Gerrit Willemsz. Heda, was among his pupils, and father and son maintained such closely aligned styles throughout their careers that their works are sometimes difficult to distinguish.

We are grateful to Fred G. Meijer for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs (private communication, November 2025).

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