ABRAHAM VAN BEIJEREN  (THE HAGUE C.1620/1-1690 OVERSCHIE)

Celebrated as one of the most versatile artists of his day, Van Beijeren was a pre-eminent painter of still lifes and one of the greatest masters of the pronk still life, of which the present work is an extraordinary example. Purchased in 1885 by the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne as having been executed by the great still life painter Jan Davidsz. de Heem, this painting formed part of the museum’s collection for nearly sixty years. In the museum catalogue of 1902, it is for the first time recorded as by Abraham van Beijeren, but in 1885 Abraham Bredius (loc. cit.) had already commented that the museum erroneously exhibited the picture under the name De Heem whereas it is in fact a ‘wundervolles Stilleben’ (‘wonderful still life’) by Abraham van Beijeren. Its remarkable quality was also perceived by Frits Lugt (1884-1970) who, in his annotated copy of the 1885 catalogue (in the RKD, The Hague), wrote ‘ v Beijeren, van allereerste qualiteit’ (‘Van Beijeren, of very first quality’).

Abraham van Beijeren was born in The Hague in 1620 and first studied under his brother-in-law, Pieter de Putter, who was a specialist in fish still lifes. Having first become a master in The Hague in 1640, where in 1656 he helped to found the Confrerie Pictura, mounting debts forced him to move to Delft from 1657 to 1661, although he was again in The Hague between 1663 and 1669. He was then recorded in Amsterdam, Alkmaar and Gouda before settling in Overschie in 1678. Van Beijeren's pronk still lifes date from the 1650s and 1660s. These pictures generally depict a table laden with a variety of ornate glassware, gilded goblets, nautilus cups, silver dishes, Chinese porcelain, costly fruits and other delicacies, with many of the same objects appearing repeatedly in his paintings.