Jan Jansz. den Uyl the Elder

Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 29 January 2009, lot 105, where acquired by the present owner.

The support consists of a single uncradled oak panel of uneven thickness - tapering slightly from right to left - and the top and bottom edges are also slightly irregular. The painting has recently been cleaned and restored and appears to be in excellent overall condition. Inspection under ultra violet light is hindered by the vanrish, but no major repairs or damages are evident. There is a slight 4 cm repaired scratch just to the left of the tazza, and the only other visible repairs are confined to minor local spot retouchings in the lower foreground and in the background. The still life itself appears to be beautifully intact. The restoration is well carried out and the vanrish is clear and even, and the painting will require no further attention. This lot is offered with a modern ebonised wood frame with gilt sight edge in very good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The most enigmatic of all 'banketje' still-life painters, for much of his short career Den Uyl revelled in the simplicitiy of the genre, stripping it bare to its essentials. Here he makes use of just three objects in a strikingly minimalist composition that seems a very personal study of texture and reflection, one that revels in the precariousness of the delicately balanced tazza on the pewter plate, and as such it is removed from the glorious, abundant banquet still lifes of his contemporaries and his own later output. Evidently, Den Uyl's individual approach to the genre found favour with contemporary collectors for this composition is known in at least two other almost identical arrangements.¹

For many years prior to Pieter de Boer's groundbreaking article on the artist published in Oud Holland in 1940, the body of Den Uyl's work was adulterated by mis-attributions to other artists of monochrome banketjes school such as Willem Claesz. Heda. Since "retrieved from forgetfulness" thanks to de Boer's research, Den Uyl is now recognised as an important and highly accomplished exponent of early Dutch still life painting. Though he produced a few landscapes and animal paintings, his works consisted principally of monochrome banketjes that were much sought after by contemporaries, including the artist Peter Paul Rubens.² 

In the centre of the tazza, the panel is signed with den Uyl's signature motif of an owl, which plays on the Dutch word for owl - uil - and was incorporated into almost all of his known works.

 

1. Sold New York, Sotheby's, 11 January, 1996, lot 101 and New York, Sotheby's, 24 January, 2002, lot 231.
2. See J. M. Muller, Rubens: The Artist as Collector, Princeton, 1989, p. 143, nos. 302-304.