Alexandre-François Desportes Champigneule, Marne 1661 - 1743 Paris

With Galerie Heim, Paris, 1968;
Private collection, Geneva, by 1976 from whom
purchased by the present owner.

This marvelous example of still life painting dates from Desportes' maturity. At this stage in his career he had already worked at the court of Poland and had been given major commissions for most of the French royal and princely residences including Chantilly, Anet, la Muette and the Hôtel de Bouillon. He had also returned from his sojourn in England where he had found great success. During the Regénce period, when this work was executed, Desportes was enjoying mostly noble patronage and had seen his pension doubled by the King. It is therefore likely that this work was part of a prestigious commission.   

It is recorded in the Inventaire des Tableaux du Roi written by Nicolas Bailly in 1709 - 1710 that Desportes already treated a similar subject for the dining room of the Duke of Antin ten years before he painted the present lot. He then readdressed these still life elements in another, somewhat different, version of the present lot which is dated 1721 and was offered in Monaco, Christie's, December 7, 1991, lot 69.    

The variances between the Monaco version and the present lot are manifested in the landscape, the ledge in the background and in the game still life. In both versions of the painting, Desportes organizes the still life elements and utilizes the compositional space, showcasing his artistic genius and virtuosity.