Lot 133: Christian Berentz (Hamburg 1658-1722 Rome)

A sliced pumpkin on a silver plate, 'façon-de-venise' glasses on a second silver plate, grapes, peaches and plums in a glass bowl with more grapes, figs, a pomegranate, roses and a peach on a silver dish, all before a classical urn with flowers
oil on canvas
132.5 x 97.5 cm.

F. Zeri, La Natura Morta in Italia, Milan, 1989, II, p. 819 and p. 821, fig. 973.

Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 29 June 1979, lot 45.

The present picture is an autograph replica of Berentz' still life in the Pinacoteca dei Musei Civici, Pesaro.
The chronology for Berentz' work is very difficult to establish, because only a few dated works are known, as Professor Zeri has pointed out. However this ambitious composition must surely date from the artist's mature period, probably the latter half of the 1690's (see F. Zeri, op.cit., p. 819). Another signed and dated work of 1696 is in the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples and shows a similar setup of the composition such as the luscious fruit in the foreground; the delicate glassware set against a dark wall and the garden vista.

Christie's charge a premium to the buyer on the final bid price of each lot sold at the following rates: 23.8% of the final bid price of each lot sold up to and including €150,000 and 14.28% of any amount in excess of €150,000. Buyers' premium is calculated on the basis of each lot individually.