Lot 24: Jacob van Walscapelle (Dordrecht 1644-1727 Amsterdam)

Peaches, grapes, walnuts and wild blackberrries in a basket on a stone plinth and roses, morning glory and carnations in a stone urn, by a window, with a butterfly
oil on canvas
35 x 26 7/8 in. (88.9 x 68.3 cm.)

with Galleria Canessa, Rome, from whom acquired by the father of the present owner in 1965.

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY (LOT 24)

The artist was born in Dordrecht, the son of Elias Cruydenier, meaning 'grocer', a connotation which does not appear to have pleased him, for he quickly adopted his grandmother's surname, Walscapelle. From Dordrecht he moved to Amsterdam where his brother-in-law Ottmar Elliger the Elder lived before 1666. He became a pupil of Cornelis Kick, whose paintings of crowded nosegays were highly popular and who had a considerable influence on Walscapelle's early flower paintings. During his career Walscapelle showed his ability to absorb those influences that were developing in contemporary flower painting, and he is perhaps best known for his flower pieces in the style of Jan Davidsz. de Heem. His versatility is also evident in his banketje, or breakfast still lifes, that reflect the enduring influence of Pieter Claesz. (see N.R.A. Vroom, A Modest Message, Schiedam, 1980, II, p. 237, no. 742, fig. 348). In 1673 he entered the service of the municipal draper's hall where he worked for the rest of his life. According to Houbraken, Walscapelle only continued to paint for a short time before abandoning painting altogether in favour of his municipal career. This is borne out by the paucity of any known late work; indeed, there is only one known dated picture after 1685 - a Still Life of Fruit and Flowers, dated 1699, offered at Sotheby's, London, 10 July 2003, lot 27.

This beautifully preserved picture is one of Walscapelle's largest and certainly most ambitious compositions, combining both flower and fruit elements, arranged on different levels and in receding planes. This complicated spatial effect is heightened by a dramatic use of light that shows the still-life elements illuminated from a casement on the left, against a darkly shaded background. As Fred Meijer, to whom we are grateful, has recently observed, the present work relates in many of these respects to the still life of 1699, making it likely that this is also a work of the 1690s. For all Walscapelle's ability to assimilate different styles into his early output, the present work - perhaps more than any other - best conveys the sophisticated and highly individual style that Walscapelle evolved in his maturity.

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