Unknown

A gentleman’s vices

Provenance: Selma Herringman, New York, ca. 1955-2013; thence by descent to: Private Collection, New York, 2013-2020 This seventeenth century Spanish still-life of a laden table, known as a bodegón, stands out for its dramatic lighting and for the detailed description of each object. The artist’s confident use of chiaroscuro enables the sliced-open squash in the left foreground to appear as if emerging out of the darkness and projecting towards the viewer. The light source emanates from the upper left, illuminating the array, and its strength is made apparent by the reflections on the pitcher, pot, and the fruit in the basket. Visible brush strokes accentuate the vegetables’ rough surfaces and delicate interiors. Although the painter of this striking work remains unknown, it is a characteristic example of the pioneering Spanish still-lifes of the baroque period, which brought inanimate objects alive on canvas. In our painting, the knife and the large yellow squash boldly protrude off the table. Balancing objects on the edge of a table was a clever way for still-life painters to emphasize the three-dimensionality of the objects depicted, as well a way to lend a sense of drama to an otherwise static image. The knife here teeters on the edge, appearing as if it might fall off the table and out of the painting at any moment. The shape and consistency of the squash at left is brilliantly conveyed through the light brush strokes that define the vegetable’s fleshy and feathery interior. The smaller gourds—gathered together in a pile—are shrouded partly in darkness and stand out for their rugged, bumpy exterior. The stoneware has a brassy glaze, and the earthy tones of the vessels are carefully modulated by their interaction with the light and shadow that falls across them. The artist has cleverly arranged the still-life in a V-shaped composition, with a triangular slice of cheese standing upright, serving as its pinnacle. Independent still-lifes only became an important pictorial genre in the first years of the seventeenth century. In Italy, and particularly through the revolutionary works of Caravaggio, painted objects became carriers of meaning, and their depiction and arrangement the province of serious artistic scrutiny. Caravaggio famously asserted that it was equally difficult to paint a still-life as it was to paint figures, and the elevation of this new art form would have profound consequences to the present day. In Spain Juan Sanchez Cotan...

Wonderful Early 19th-century Still life of different fruits on an earth bank. Very much painted in the same way as George William Sartorius painted his still lives this piece has al...

Still life painting of fruit in a basket Continental, c. 1800 Frame: Height 81cm, width 91cm, depth 7cm Canvas: Height 57cm, width 69cm, ...

Classical Still Life of Flowers Studio of Miguel Canals, Spanish 1925-1995 stamped with the studio mark verso oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 23.5 x 18 inches Provenance: private col...

STILL LIFE - Oil on canvas cm.60x80 by Salvatore Marinelli, Italy 2002 Frame available on request from our workshop.

Flowers - Oil on canvas cm.80x60 by Maximilian Ciccone, Italy 2002. Frame available on request from our workshop. In this oil on canvas painting the painter Ciccone draws inspiration from the masterpieces of the great Roman master Mario Nuzzi...

Oil painting on canvas - Composition of flowers in a metal vase with fruit, and landscape in the background - Alfredo Mayeux; early XX century.

Still life - Francesca Strino Italia 2005 - Oil on canvas cm.60x60 Francesca Strino, a Neapolitan painter, realises this still life with great pictorial realism. The painter has her ...

Flowering Tree - Oil on Canvas cm.100x80 by Giovanni Bonetti, Italy, 2002 Undisputed artist of still life, Giovanni Bonetti reveals his originality and shrewd mastery in this precio...

Flowers - Oil on canvas cm.70x90, Luigi Degli Espositi, Italy, 2002 Gold leaf gilded wooden frame available on request