Unknown

A gentleman’s vices

The is a wonderfully atmospheric painting, with skilfully composed mushrooms and horse chestnuts.

Alfred Frederick William Hayward, R.O.I. (1856-1939) Convolvulus signed ‘AFW Hayward’ (lower right) oil on canvas 17 x 13 in. (43.2 x 33.1 cm.) frame 21 ¼ x 17 ⅜ in. (53.9 x 44.1 cm....

Steven Spurrier, R.A., R.O.I., R.B.A. (1878-1961) The critics signed ‘SPURRIER’ (lower right) oil on canvas 28 x 36 in. (71.2 x 91.5 cm.) EXHIBITED: Londo...

Arthur Ralph Middleton Todd, R.A. (1891-1966) The gypsy caravan oil on canvas 24 x 20 in. (61 x 50.8 cm.) frame 29 x 24 ½ in. (73.7 x 62.2 cm.) Nicknamed the ‘kite wagon’ due to it’...

Steven Spurrier, R.A. (1878-1961) The ocean depths signed ‘STEVEN SPURRIER’ (lower right) oil on canvas canvas 24 x 36 in. (60.9 x 91.4 cm.) frame 30 ...

Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe, R.A. (1901-1979) The fashion parade signed ‘CF Tunnicliffe’ (lower right) oil on canvas 25 ⅛ x 30 ¼ in. (63.8 x 76.8 cm.) frame 30 ⅞ x 36 in. (78.4 x 9...

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...

JUAN DE ARELLANO Spanish, 1614 - 1676 Cesta de Flores signed Juan de Arellano (lower lright) oil on canvas original period carved, gilt and polychrome...

Juan Sánchez Cotán (1560 - 1627) was one of the most important still life painters in Spain and beyond. He developed a certain type of still life with a ...

Charming work in the Regency style, mid 19th Century after Sir Thomas Lawrence. High quality painting. Old Christie's Stencil to verso. Would grace any home, suitable for contempor...

J. Clays (British, 19th-20th century) - Still life with fruit basket. 61 x 51 cm without frame, 67.5 x 58 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a gilded wooden frame. ...

"Cassetta" frame in sculpted, carved, gilded wood. Expertise by Gianluca Bocchi.