Pieter Claesz.

With B. Rapp, Stockholm, 1949;
Private collection, Sweden;
With Charles Roelofs, Amsterdam, 1985;
Sale, Stockholm, Bukowski, 25 April 1990, lot 364.

N.R.A. Vroom, A Modest Message, Schiedam 1980, vol. II, p. 21, cat. no. 68, reproduced vol. I, p. 27, plate 22;
A. Veca in Vanitas. Il simbolismo del tempo, exhibition catalogue, Bergamo 1981, pp. 90, 92, 193, reproduced plate 107;
M. Brunner-Bulst, Pieter Claesz., Lingen 2004, p. 349, cat. no. 242, reproduced.

The canvas has been fairly recently relined and is stable. The paint surface is a little worn in some areas with the canvas grain texture apparent. Much of the background, especially the upper, is significantly retouched and there are retouchings throughout the still life itself especially in the darker regions/shadows. There is an upside down L-shaped restored tear to the right of the candlestick and a damage on the upper left page of the book. Sold with a wood frame in 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."

Brunner Bulst dates this picture to 1659/60 making it the artist’s last known Vanitas still life. Although Claesz. started painting Vanitas still lifes in the 1620s the majority of his works in this genre were executed in the 1650s.¹ As a late work this painting perfectly exhibits what Ingvar Bergström described as "the mellow treatment of colour and freedom of brushwork" characteristic of the last decade of his career.² Many of these later compositions are painted on canvas and are larger in size than his works on panel. During the last decade of his life he favoured grander, more detailed compositions in contrast to his earlier sober style. Here the entire picture plane is filled with a multitude of objects, a pack of cards, a pewter plate, a pocket watch, a glass roemer, a candle, books, a piece of parchment, a skull, a lute and a walnut. 

1. See for example M. Brunner-Bulst, Pieter Claesz., Lingen 2004, nos. 205, 220 and 234.
2. I. Bergström, Dutch Still-life painting in the Seventeenth century, New York 1956, p. 116.