Jan Brueghel the Elder

Anonymous sale, London, Bonhams, 8 December 2004, lot 79 (as by Jan Brueghel the Younger);
David Koetser, 2005.

K. Ertz and C. Nitze-Ertz, Jan Brueghel der Ältere, vol. III, Lingen 2008–2010, pp. 900-901, cat. no. 425, reproduced in color.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work is probably slightly dirty. The copper panel is flat. There is slight abrasion in the ochre flower in the center and in the pink flower in the bottom of the arrangement. There are also remnants of a patina or old dirt layer in the white flower at the top. It is possible that the work would improve if it were lightly cleaned and retouched.
"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 jewel-like still life on copper is the smallest known floral picture by Jan Brueghel the Elder, one of the most versatile and inventive of the great Netherlandish flower painters. Forty-one pure flower still lifes are recorded by Ertz, this undoubtedly being the smallest, and it is perhaps for this reason that it escaped scholars’ attention prior to its rediscovery at auction in 2004, where it was then given to Jan Brueghel the Younger.¹ Ertz dates this work to circa 1610, which would place its execution to the same moment as another still life on copper (private collection) which also utilizes a glass roemer as well as a few of the same flowers, including an almost identical sprig of rosemary.²

On this small scale Brueghel’s dexterity and mastery of subtle glazing techniques is put on full display. It is unsurprising that critics and collectors alike have admired Jan Brueghel's flower pieces from the moment of their creation, and their popularity has never waned. In analyzing his works, art historians have classified Brueghel's flower paintings on the basis of the containers which hold the flowers, the size and number of flowers, and the construction of the arrangement. However, what is most striking in the end is the artist's extraordinary inventiveness and skill. Although Brueghel sought the very rarest flowers, he uses certain common blooms - tulips, irises and roses - to anchor his bouquets. This probably reflects his patrons' wishes and the popularity of these flowers, as well as compositional considerations. However, despite the repetition of motifs, each work has a remarkable freshness and vitality of its own. 

1. See Ertz 2008-2010, cat. nos. 420-460. 
2. Ertz 2008-2010, cat. no. 426