Cornelis de Heem (Leiden 1631-1695 Antwerp)
Lot 30

Cornelis de Heem (Leiden 1631-1695 Antwerp)

A cut melon, cherries, gooseberries, peaches, grapes, figs, plums, flowers, snails and insects on a stone ledge

Closed8 July 2008

Price Realised

GBP 337,250

More Information

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Cornelis de Heem (Leiden 1631-1695 Antwerp)
A cut melon, cherries, gooseberries, peaches, grapes, figs, plums, flowers, snails and insects on a stone ledge
indistinctly signed and dated '..7. C. DE HEEM f' (lower left, on the ledge)
oil on canvas
16 x 21¾ in (40.8 x 55.4 cm.)

with Gallerie d'Art St. Honoré, Paris, 1987.

Specialist note

Cornelis de Heem was a pupil of his father, Jan Davidsz. de Heem, arguably the greatest still life painter of the seventeenth century. He worked in Antwerp and after joining the guild there in 1660, he subsequently moved to Utrecht and The Hague. Cornelis specialized in small scale still lifes of fruit as well as bouquets and swags of flowers charaterised by a strong colour scheme often employing a rich blue.

We are grateful to Fred Meijer of the RKD, The Hague, for confirming the attribution of the present painting, on inspection of the original. The picture is also sold with a photocopy of a certificate from Ingvar Bergström, dated 12 May 1987, confirming the attribution to Cornelis de Heem.