Old Masters Day Sale, including portrait miniatures
Old Masters Day Sale, including portrait miniatures
Property from a European Private Collection
Anthonie Palamedesz.
A musical company and banquet in the open air with a pavilion and gilt statue beyond
Lot Closed
December 8, 02:54 PM GMT
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from a European Private Collection
Anthonie Palamedesz.
1601 - 1673
A musical company and banquet in the open air with a pavilion and gilt statue beyond
signed and dated lower left: A. PALAMEDES.1632
oil on oak panel
unframed: 47.7 x 79 cm.; 18¾ x 31⅛ in.
framed: 69 x 100 cm.; 27⅛ x 39⅜ in.
By whom sold 'The property of the late Sir James Roberts, Bart. Removed from the Hall, Fairlight, near Hastings'), London, Christie's, 20 March 1936, lot 71, for £69–6s. to W. Sabin;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 18 October 1989, lot 97, for £81,400;
With Richard Green, London, 1991;
From whom presumably acquired by the present owner.
This painting is a rare example of Palamedesz capturing a musical gathering and banquet in the open air. Known for his interior scenes, often featuring elegant couriers and soldiers, here the artist has decided to depict the joys of life set within a bucolic woodland on the edge of a formal garden. The painter has paid great attention to all the sensory details. On the table is a banquet laden with various delectable baked goods, breads and foods, including a prominent swan pie, with servants pouring wines in the background. To the side and back are musicians providing a suitable soundtrack to this merry scene with their traverso flutes, lutes and bass viol. To the left are a couple conversing, with discreet hand movements hinting at the sense of touch. Finally, the sense of sight is delighted by the profusion of flamboyant doublets, sashes, ribbons, plumes, lace collars and dresses worn by all of the attendees.
Considering the details outlined above, it requires little effort to appreciate how paintings like this one prefigure the fête galantes of Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684–1721), whose genre defying canvases took great inspiration from the art of northern Europe from this particular period.
Two similar outdoor scenes by Anthonie Palamedesz are recorded in the collection of Lady Bromley Davenport, England, and the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.1
1 https://rkd.nl/explore/images/205949 ; https://rkd.nl/explore/images/205946