Lot 1022 Dα

The present food still life is an impressive example of an early "sumptuous meal". The extremely large, landscape-format composition allowed Wedig to spread out a significant number of objects on a table from a high vantage point, isolated and without overlapping, against a dark background.
Exquisite tableware such as a Renaissance goblet or a glass à la façon de Venise is presented together with a roast chicken and fish on pewter plates, alongside fruit and cheese. The thin application of painting in reduced colours favouring brown and yellow tones is characteristic of Gottfried von Wedig. The forms of the objects depicted are voluminous and three-dimensional, the composition is simple and provides each object with enough space to provide visual impact.
The motifs depicted relate in many ways to three of Wedig's other "sumptuous meals" with roast chicken (see E. Mai, op. cit., no. 6). The present painting is the largest version of this group, which is dated to around 1630. In this context, the date "1623" on the frame of the painting is interesting. However, it has not been possible to determine with certainty whether this is the original frame. However, the monogram "W" in conjunction with the hand symbol of the Antwerp Painters' Guild on the knife blade indicates an early work by the painter and its possible connection to Antwerp.