Lot 1125 Dα

Johann Daniel Bager belonged to a family of artists from Frankfurt, which brought forth narrative painters, miniaturists and architects. Bager was most famed among his contemporaries for his cool-toned, finely painted fruit still lifes inspired by Netherlandish predecessors.
Concealed within this detailed and balanced composition we find a number of small insects, apparently lured by the scent of the ripening fruit. The bunch of, partially rotten, grapes chosen as the centre of this composition hangs upon a shiny metal hook on the wall. The motif expresses the deliberate emphasis placed upon the transitory nature of the world, the “vanitas” motif. At the same time, Bager has included a bird's nest, which represents new beginnings and new life, but also security, thus representing the complete circle of life in one image.