Cornelis de Heem
A still life with peaches, grapes, plums, cherries and prawns on a ledge, draped with a blue cloth
Lot Closed
December 16, 02:07 PM GMT
Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Follower of Cornelis de Heem
A still life with peaches, grapes, plums, cherries and prawns on a ledge, draped with a blue cloth
bears signature on the table lower left: DE HEEM. f.
oil on oak panel
unframed: 19. 3 x 24.7 cm.; 7⅝ x 9¾ in.;
framed: 32.4 x 38.1 cm.; 13½ x 15 in.
This small and compact still life shows an assortment of fruit and two small prawns stacked on top of a blue cloth, which is draped over a wooden table. The artist has taken great care to show the fall of light in the painting, with individual cherries and grapes reflecting what looks like a window, positioned behind the viewer. Traces of a signature reading 'de Heem' are visible on the edge of the table, and while elements of the composition are recognisable from still lifes by Cornelis de Heem,1 the palette and overall tone is paler. It is curious that the grain of the panel runs vertically for such a small horizontal composition; this might suggest that the panel is a fragment of a larger panel, which has been repurposed for this painting.
We are grateful to Dr Fred G. Meijer for his valuable observations and for his attribution of the work to a follower of Cornelis de Heem, following first-hand inspection of the painting in 2020.
1 https://rkd.nl/explore/images/112777; https://rkd.nl/explore/images/61441