Jan Davidsz. De Heem

Possibly collection of Jean de Jullienne (1686-1766), Ecuyer, Chevalier de l'Ordre de St. Michel, Paris;
His posthumous sale, Paris, Remy et al., 30 March 1767, lot 126 (sold 240 livres), described as: ‘Un Hareng sec sur une assiete, des Grenades ou Crevetes, du Raisins, des Cerises, du Pain; & deux différens verres posés sur une table couverte d'un tapis. Ce Tableau peint sur bois porte 12 pouces de haut, sur 18 de large’;
With Duits Ltd, London;
Purchased from the above by the father of the present owner, probably in the 1950s.

The following condition report is provided by Hamish Dewar, who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's. UNCONDITIONAL AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE Structural Condition The artist's panel is uncradled and is providing a sound and secure structural support. Paint Surface The paint surface has a very discoloured varnish layer and would undoubtedly be transformed by cleaning. Inspection under ultra-violet light emphasises how discoloured the varnish layers have become and how cleaning would transform the overall appearance. The only retouchings that are visible under ultra-violet light are a few small spots in the background, particularly in the lower right above the prawns on the table top. These retouchings are discoloured and are therefore also visible in natural light. There may be other scattered retouchings beneath the old varnish layers which are not identifiable under ultraviolet light. The fine details of the painting appear to be intact with no evidence of over cleaning or abrasion in the past. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in very good and stable condition with the potential to be transformed should the painting be cleaned, restored and revarnished.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This recently rediscovered still life, which has not been seen on the market for over fifty years, is one of no less than nine paintings so far known by De Heem which were painted in the same year, 1653. Of these, the Still life with oysters and grapes today in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art probably comes closest in spirit and conception to this panel, though its composition has a more right-sided emphasis.¹ The Venetian-style wine glass, for example, is common to both works, and as Fred G. Meijer has pointed out, so is De Heem's technique of employing highlighted branches and tendrils in order to achieve spatial depth in the design. The sliced herring in the centre of the present painting originally had its head pointing up, but this has since been painted out. Another such treatment of the fish, also with accompanying onions, shrimps and bread is to be found in the undated and slightly larger canvas in the Liechtenstein Princely collections in Vienna.²  As Meijer has speculated, the glass of beer and the onions may well have been added specifically to go with the herring, as all three were (and still are) traditionally eaten together.

We are grateful to Fred G. Meijer of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, The Hague, for confirming the attribution to Jan Davidsz. de Heem following first hand inspection of the original, and for providing the possible early provenance for this lot. This painting will be included as no. 53.03 in his forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works of De Heem.

Jean de Julienne was an important collector and patron of the arts in 18th-century Paris. He had set out wanting to be an artist himself and had initially studied alongside Watteau, by whom he was to own some 450 drawings. The landscape by Nicolaes Berchme in the Day Sale of this sale was also owned by him (lot 144). De Jullienne was
painted by Jean-François de Troy, in a portrait today in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Valenciennes, in which he holds a drawing and a pencil, his Order just visible lower left.

1. Inv. M.86.95. Panel, 14 1/4  by 20 7/8  in. (36.2 by 53.02 cm.).
2. Inv. no. G 777. Canvas, 46 by 64.8 cm. Exhibited Braunschweig, Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Jan Davidsz. de Heem und sein Kreis, 1991, no. 16.