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Lot Essay
Klaus Ertz has posited that, like many paintings by Jan Breughel II, the composition of this exceptionally refined still life probably derives from a painting by his father, Jan Breughel I (for a full discussion of the composition, see K. Ertz and C. Nitze-Ertz, Jan Brueghel der Ältere: Die Gemälde, III, Lingen, 2008-2010, pp. 963-965). While no prototype by Jan I has surfaced to date, its constituent elements are nevertheless known in the artist’s work. The form of the silver-gilt tazza with a variety of flowers overflowing its rim is particularly close to one that appears in a painting dated 1612 in a Dutch private collection, which in turn derives from a compositional sketch in the British Museum, London. Similarly, a variant of the wicker basket, albeit rotated ninety degrees and with a different arrangement of flowers, occurs in a painting by Jan I with the assistance of Jan II in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Closer still is the composition of flowers in a wicker basket by Jan II, perhaps itself derived from a model by Jan I, that sold at Dorotheum, Vienna, 24 April 2018, lot 30.
The present composition must have enjoyed tremendous appeal in its day, for a number of autograph variants are known, including one on the Paris art market in 2007 as well as those in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, and the Henle collection, Duisburg. Ertz has suggested that the present painting is among the earliest by Jan II, dating it to the early 1620s before the artist travelled to Italy. Given the painting's early date and exceptional quality, Ertz believes Jan I may have participated in the painting's production, as is known for other still lifes from this period, including the Flowers in a glass vase with shells and butterfly of circa 1620 in a private collection (ibid., pp. 906, 908, no. 430, illustrated). This example most closely resembles the version recently on the Paris art market, which Ertz has previously dated to the 1630s (see K. Ertz, Jan Breughel der Jüngere (1601-1678): Die Gemälde mit kritischem Oevrekatalog, Freren, 1984, pp. 450-451, no. 287). The principal differences between the two paintings are the number and types of insects depicted on the table and the inclusion of a Red Admiral butterfly perched atop the flower at upper left in the present painting, a detail that appears to be unique to this example and may indicate its primacy among the known versions. Indeed, Dr. Fred Meijer has described this painting as the finest version known to him, noting in particular the pentimenti visible in the base of the tazza. A recent dendrochronological analysis of the panel by Dr. Ian Tyers similarly suggests it is composed of boards from the Eastern Baltic dating from after circa 1607 and probably before circa 1639.
We are grateful to Dr. Klaus Ertz and Dr. Fred Meijer, who independently endorsed the attribution to Jan Breughel II following firsthand inspection of the work. Copies of Dr. Ertz's certificate and Dr. Tyers' report are available upon request.
The present composition must have enjoyed tremendous appeal in its day, for a number of autograph variants are known, including one on the Paris art market in 2007 as well as those in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, and the Henle collection, Duisburg. Ertz has suggested that the present painting is among the earliest by Jan II, dating it to the early 1620s before the artist travelled to Italy. Given the painting's early date and exceptional quality, Ertz believes Jan I may have participated in the painting's production, as is known for other still lifes from this period, including the Flowers in a glass vase with shells and butterfly of circa 1620 in a private collection (ibid., pp. 906, 908, no. 430, illustrated). This example most closely resembles the version recently on the Paris art market, which Ertz has previously dated to the 1630s (see K. Ertz, Jan Breughel der Jüngere (1601-1678): Die Gemälde mit kritischem Oevrekatalog, Freren, 1984, pp. 450-451, no. 287). The principal differences between the two paintings are the number and types of insects depicted on the table and the inclusion of a Red Admiral butterfly perched atop the flower at upper left in the present painting, a detail that appears to be unique to this example and may indicate its primacy among the known versions. Indeed, Dr. Fred Meijer has described this painting as the finest version known to him, noting in particular the pentimenti visible in the base of the tazza. A recent dendrochronological analysis of the panel by Dr. Ian Tyers similarly suggests it is composed of boards from the Eastern Baltic dating from after circa 1607 and probably before circa 1639.
We are grateful to Dr. Klaus Ertz and Dr. Fred Meijer, who independently endorsed the attribution to Jan Breughel II following firsthand inspection of the work. Copies of Dr. Ertz's certificate and Dr. Tyers' report are available upon request.