Cornelis de Heem

Probably Richard Heywood Thompson (1850-1935), Nunwick Hall, Penrith, Cumberland;

Thence by inheritance to his nephew, Lt. Col. Cecil Henry Farrer Thompson (1882-1975), Nunwick Hall, Penrith, Cumberland;

Thence by descent until anonymously sold ("The Property of Three Brothers"), London, Christie's, 13 December 1985, lot 41;

Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Gentleman"), London, Christie's, 8 July 1994, lot 73;

Where acquired by the late owner.

Cornelis de Heem executed this grand still life circa 1657, when at the apogee of his career. The artistic legacy of Jan Davidsz. De Heem, Cornelis’ father and the most influential and versatile Dutch still life painter of the seventeenth century, pervades this signed and elegantly composed composition.

A bright shaft of light enters from upper left and illuminates the objects arrayed on the wood table. Clusters of red and green grapes, an assortment of stone and citrus fruits, and dew-dappled leaves and tendrils surround a central glass roemer that stands on a gold-fringed azure tablecloth. The wine-filled goblet’s convex surface reflects the geometric forms of the fictive room’s casement windows, thereby alluding to the domestic environment beyond the picture. The inclusion of a butterfly and snail further enliven the scene.

We are grateful to Fred G. Meijer for suggesting the work's date of execution.