Lot 2056 Dα

This work depicts fruits of all kinds lain out on a plain grey table. Their rich colours and varied forms fill the entire pictorial plain, but a basket filled with grapes, peaches, apples, plums, and apricots located slightly to the left forms the principal motif. Behind this we see a raspberry bush, on the table quinces and melons occupy the foreground, and a bundle of asparagus is depicted leant against the basket. The artist has managed to capture both the rich textures of the fruit and vegetables, and their varying states of decay. There are worm holes in the quinces, many of the leaves are beginning to shrivel, and some of the asparagus stalks are beginning to acquire a purple colouring. A bright light entering from the left illuminates the scene, casting dark shadows - especially on the fruits in the foreground - and creating a convincing sense of plasticity.
In the past, this work's vivid colour palette and strong sense of depth have caused it to be assigned to an artist South of the Alps. The Spanish painter Luis Meléndez de Ribera was long considered a potential author, then the Fleming Pieter van Boucle, who was active in Antwerp and Paris. However, Fred Meijer has since convincingly attributed it to Adriaen van Utrecht, one of the leading painters of still lifes in 17th century Flanders alongside Frans Snyders. Adriaen van Utrecht travelled to France, Germany, and Italy, and the Italian still life tradition in the wake of Caravaggio can be seen in the pronounced chiaroscuro of this piece. Meijer dates the work to around 1625 - 1630, following the artist's return from Italy (for more on Adriaen van Utrecht and Italian still life painting cf.: Mina Gregori: Adriaen van Utrecht e la natura morta italiana. In: Paragone, IX (1959), p. 50-54).