Beschreibung:

DescriptionStill-life Paintings from the Collection of Dr Sam Segal
Osias Beert the ElderAntwerp c. 1580 - 1624 AntwerpStill life with oysters, fruit and glasses on a table
oil on oak panel, unframed52.5 x 79.3 cm.; 20½ x 31¼ in.Condition reportThe panel, consisting of two pieces, is stable and flat. The join in the middle, and an old crack in the lower quarter of the painting, is supported by batons on the reverse of the panel. The reverse of the panel shows that it has been planned and thinned in the past. A small support baton is also found in the top left hand corner. The paint surface is clean and covered by a modern glossy varnish. The paint surface shows some signs of abrasion and thinning in the details. The crack along the center of the panel is visible in raking light. Inspection under ultraviolet light shows several campaigns of restoration. The most recent campaign focuses around retouching to the central join / split in the panel and covers the entire length of the work. There is scattered retouching in various places, particularly in the shadows and in some of the details such as the fruit, leaves, plates and glasses. The painting is in a fair condition. The work is sold unframed.
Please note that Condition 12 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers (Online Only) is not applicable to this lot.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.Saleroom NoticePlease note this frame is displayed in a loan frame from Arnold Wiggins and Sons. Should you wish to purchase it please contact a member of the Old Master Paintings department.ProvenanceWith Helmut Buchen, Berlin, 1973–74;
Adi Huber Collection, Hailer, in 1980;
With Piet de Boer, Amsterdam, 2010–11;
Private collection, The Netherlands;
Thence by descent to the present owners.LiteratureE. Greindl, Les peintres flamands de nature morte au XVIIe siècle, Sterrebeek 1983, p. 183, no. 29, fig. 18 reproduced;
S. Segal, ‘Früchte, Brot und Wein und tiefere Bedeutung’, in Kunst und Antiquitäten, vol. 2, 1986, pp. 23–24, fig. 6 reproduced.Catalogue noteOsias Beert, a contemporary of Jan Brueghel the Elder and Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, was registered as a pupil in the Antwerp painters' guild in 1596 and enrolled as a master in 1602. Beert was a pioneer of still-life painting in Antwerp and a highly-esteemed artist, as evidenced by the large number of contemporary copies and imitations of his work. Only a dozen signed or monogrammed still lifes by Beert have been recorded out of a total of fifty or so fully attributed works. Approximately half of his known œuvre is made up of flower pieces and still lifes, while the other half consists of still lifes displaying fruit, oysters and other food stuffs, often arranged in expensive and luxurious containers.
Dated to about 1615 by Dr Fred Meijer, this carefully arranged still life of oysters, fruits, berries and nuts is comparable to another that sold at Sotheby's, New York, 28 January 2010.1 Comparisons have also been suggested with a signed painting by Beert in the Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België, Brussels, which contains a still life with oysters and glasses.2 
1 Sold for $338,500; https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2010/important-old-master-paintings-and-sculpture-n08610/lot.191.html2 https://www.fine-arts-museum.be/nl/de-collectie/osias-beert-stilleven-met-oesters?letter=b&artist=beert-osias-1