Master Paintings Part II
Master Paintings Part II
Sold Without Reserve
Pseudo-Jan van Kessel II
Still life of assorted fish on a stone ledge with a cat behind
No reserve
Lot Closed
May 26, 02:59 PM GMT
Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Sold Without Reserve
Pseudo-Jan van Kessel II
active in southern Europe in the second half of the 17th century
Still life of assorted fish on a stone ledge with a cat behind
oil on copper
copper: 9 ½ by 12 ½ in.; 24 by 31.75 cm.
framed: 14 ¼ by 17 ¼ in.; 36.2 by 43.8 cm.
Anonymous sale ("Property of a Gentleman"), London, Sotheby's, 10 December 1975, lot 35 (as Jan van Kessel);
Anonymous sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Delorme & Fraysse, 14 December 1994, lot 17 (as Jan van Kessel I);
Where acquired by the present collector.
K. Ertz and C. Nitze-Ertz, Die Maler Jan van Kessel: Jan van Kessel der Ältere 1626–1679, Jan van Kessel der Jüngere 1654–1708, Jan van Kessel der 'Andere' ca. 1620 – ca. 1661, kritische Kataloge der Gemälde, Lingen 2012 pp. 409-410, cat. no. 44, reproduced (as Jan van Kessel II).
An assortment of fish, including crab, eel, squid, and red mullet, are arrayed on a stone slab alongside a basket of oysters and various kitchen utensils; a cat peers at these vittles from the background.
The name "Pseudo-Jan van Kessel II" refers to an artist, or studio, that produced jewel-like paintings, predominantly still lives, most often on copper. As is the case with many works that bear this attribution, prior to 2017, this painting was incorrectly attributed to Jan van Kessel the Younger.
We are grateful to Fred G. Meijer for endorsing the present attribution on the basis of digital photographs.