Edwaert Collier

Oscar and Maria Salzer, Los Angeles;
By whom given to the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science,1983 (Acc. FMM 82.19).

Lawrence, KS, Museum of Art, The University of Kansas, The Salzer Collection, Trompe L'Oeil and Still Life Paintings, A Loan Exhibition, 4 October - 1 November 1964, cat. no. 9;
Charlotte, NC, The Mint Museum of Art, The Salzer Collection, Trompe-L'Oeil and Still Life Paintings,  A Loan Exhibition, 14 February - 7 March 1965, cat. no. 9;
Los Angeles, Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California; Seattle, WA, Seattle Art Museum; Honolulu, HI, Honolulu Academy of Art; Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Reality and Deception, 16 October 1974 – 20 April 1975, cat. no. 15, reproduced;
Dartmouth, NH, Hood Museum of Art; Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art; Houston, TX, Museum of Fine Arts; Atlanta, GA, High Museum of Art, Age of the Marvelous, 21 September 1991 - 3 January 1993, cat. no. 195, reproduced p. 429;
Nagoya, Nagoya City Art Museum; Bunkamura, The Bunkamura Museum of Art; Hyogo, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Visual Deception, 11 April 2009 - 3 November 2009, cat. no. 32, reproduced p. 71.

Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art, History and Science, Celebration of the Opening, Fresno 1984, p. 12, reproduced;
Portraits of Objects, Oscar and Maria Salzer Collection of Still Life and Trompe-L'Oeil Paintings, Fresno 1984, cat. no. 8, reproduced in color.

The painting has an older relining canvas. Overall the main elements of the composition are in very good condition. There is a slightly discolored varnish still applied to the canvas, coupled with some surface dirt. The background has been abraded over time and there appear to be retouches applied within the background. A light cleaning and an evaluation of the varnish will benefit the painting and freshen it up a great deal. Under UV, some retouches are visible, two along the right side as vertical repaired tears measuring approximately five inches in length. Some scattered retouches in the background are mainly concentrated around the edges, as well as a couple in located in the letter at left. Overall though, the issues are isolated to the background and the objects in the picture are in lovely state. In a carved wooden frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Trained as a painter in Haarlem and Leiden, Edwaert Collier joined the Guild of Saint Luke in Leiden in 1673.  He moved to London in 1693 and had a prolific career there as a painter of vanitas and trompe l'oeil still lifes.  These witty and highly decorative works, which were incredibly popular during the late 17^th and 18^th centuries, have found favor with collectors and connoisseurs in the present day due to their ability to blend reality with deception and their unique resolution to the question at the heart of painting's practice for centuries:  how to depict the three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional surface.

The theme of the letter rack seems to have preoccupied Collier during his years in London; we know many examples of these works today – all dated 1693 and later – which can be generally divided into two groups:  those with plain, dark, monochromatic backgrounds as seen in the present work, and those with faux bois backgrounds, as in the work sold New York, Sotheby's 28 January 2010, lot 262.   Although all of the letter rack works in Collier's oeuvre are composed differently, they do tend to feature similar objects.  Indeed, almost every object in the present work reappears elsewhere in other works by the artist.  Particularly characteristic are the inclusion of the Apollo Anglicanus Almanac, which the artist often uses to date his works (here, 1698); the folded and dog-eared copy of the London Gazette; a royal speech before parliament (here by King William); and the hand-written "Memory" pad.  Also typical is the way in which Collier has signed the work:  on a letter tucked into the rack addressed to "Mr. E. Collier Painter att. London".  During his time in London, Collier used both the Dutch and English versions of his signature interchangeably; thus, he was sometimes Edwaert or Edwaerd, other times Edward; sometimes Painter at London, others Schilder tot Leyden.  A master of the trompe l'oeil genre, Collier's genius lay in his ability to make his carefully arranged and remarkably naturalistic works appear effortless, random and uncomposed. 

We are grateful to Dr. Dror Wahrman for his assistance in cataloguing the present lot.