JACOB VAN HULSDONCK | Still life with peaches, prunes and grapes in a Wanli 'kraak' porcelain bowl on a wooden table with a butterfly and a scarab beetle

Leo van Puyvelde, former director and curator of the Musées Royaux des Beaux-arts, Brussels, and thence by descent;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 12 December 2001, lot 14.

The actual painting is lighter in tone than the catalogue illustration would suggest. The oak panel is beveled on all sides and it horizontal join has been reinforced on the reverse with batons. Some batons on its reverse also reunite an old horizontal crack up from the join. On the front these join/crack can be slightly visible and have been retouched. We notice some of paint losses around the edges. The painted surface seems to be in a good condition with some of its colors nicely preserved and details like the water drops on the table ledge. Some thinness in lower foreground on the wood of the table which have been retouched. Under the UV light The varnish layer fluoresces almost completely showing the retouched join and the other crack mentioned above. And some minor strengthenings near the grapes in the right and on the right of the bowl are visible and scattered ones in the upper background. Offered with a brown veneer 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. 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 insect depicted lower left is in fact a Scarab beetle (Scarabaeidae) belonging to the sub-family Melolonthinae. It is a Melolontha melolontha Lin.