Johannes Bosschaert - Still Life with Flowers, Leaves, a Butterfly, and a Lizard - image-1

Lot 1029 Dα

Johannes Bosschaert - Still Life with Flowers, Leaves, a Butterfly, and a Lizard

Auction 1108 - overview Cologne
16.05.2018, 11:00 - Old Master Paintings and Drawings, Sculpture
Estimate: 200.000 € - 250.000 €
Result: 198.400 € (incl. premium)

Johannes Bosschaert

Still Life with Flowers, Leaves, a Butterfly, and a Lizard

Oil on panel. 50.2 x 34.3 cm.
Signed and dated lower right: I. Bosschaert 1624.

Johannes Bosschaert was the second of Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder's three sons. His father was one of the most important early Netherlandish still life painters, and in terms of quality, his sons were never truly able to live up to their father's legacy. However, the works of Johannes Bosschaert, who died when he was just 23 years old, were those with the most originality. The present work is an exceptional example of this. His style is characterised by a cool, almost scientific, observation of his subjects: In this case, a dark green glass vase and an arrangement of flowers and leaves with a blue iris rising prominently from the centre. The motifs are assembled on a plain tabletop with a lizard on the left and a single tulip protruding over the horizontal edge on the right.
Johannes Bosschaert did not often date his works, and this one - dated 1624 - is among the earliest.

Provenance

Private collection, California. - Auctioned by Butterfields 8.11.1995, lot 779 ( 360,000 USD). - Richard Green, London (Tefaf 1996). - Konrad Bernheimer München (labelled to verso). - Private collection, Germany.