Lot 57: - Hans Bollongier , Probably Haarlem 1598/1602 - 1672/75 A Still Life with a Pumpkin, peachs, grapes, cherries and other fruit oil on panel

signed and dated lower right: HBollangier./ A o 1664 ( HB in ligature) oil on panel

measurements note 42 by 47.5 cm.; 16 by 18 3/4 in.

Acquired by the present owner in January 1987.

PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE COLLECTION
Little is known about the life of Hans Bollongier other than that he worked as a still-life painter in Haarlem from 1623 to 1642. From his known output, we can see that he specialised in floral pieces, and he appears to have had no rivals in Haarlem in this field. As the only known flower painter in Haarlem, he is a somewhat isolated figure in the history of Dutch painting. He chiefly painted still lifes of flowers arranged simply in a single vase, similar in composition to those of Ambrosius Bosschaert. Although some folkloric genre scenes have traditionally been ascribed to him, Fred Meijer has suggested that these are in fact by the artist's younger brother Horatio.υ1 The present painting, with its sumptuously painted pumpkin surrounded by other vegetables and fruit, is therefore a rare treasure within Bollongier's oeuvre. In comparison to other contemporary painters of still-lifes, Bollongier employed a looser, more painterly technique and this can clearly be seen in his handling of the pumpkin. The creamy flesh is described with loose, vigorous brushstokes and the result is dynamic and realistic. The free and loose handling in this painting is typical of Bollongier's technique during his later years and contrasts with the carefully and thinly applied paint of his earlier pieces. We can compare, for example, the handling of the fruit in this comparatively late work with his Still Life with Flowers and Fruit of 1629 in the Nationalmuseum of Stockholm, inv. NM 348, the earliest dated work by the artist.υ2 By comparing these two works we can also see how Bollongier develops from using delicate nuances of light and shade to model the elements in his still lifes to using powerful contrasts between dark and light. In the present painting, the directional light source coming in from the left dramatically highlights the corresponding areas of the pumpkin and emphasizes the diagonal thrust of the composition.
1. See A. Willigen & F. Meijer, A Dictionary of Dutch and Flemish Still-Life Painters working in Oils, 1525-1725, Leiden 2003, p. 41.
2. G. Cavalli-Björkman, Dutch and Flemish Paintings, vol. II, exhibition catalogue, Stockholm 2005, p. 98, cat. no. 111, reproduced.