Banquet Still Life. Cornelis De Heem (1631-1695). Attributed

17th century period Large oil on parquet oak panel. Blackened wooden frame with guilloché pattern and inverted profile. Total dimensions: 105 x 122 cm. The panel alone: 82 x 100 cm In the modern world, the still life was born in the 16th century, but this genre developed and became established from the beginning of the 17th century, in the Northern Schools (Flanders and Holland, in particular in the form of the "monochrome lunch"), always very inclined to represent a real vintage. It then spread to Europe, and to France in particular. The still life, with a decorative vocation, is a great commercial success. In this society where the increase in wealth releases appetites for luxury, the accumulation of precious objects mixed with perishable foodstuffs encourages people to consider their existence and their salvation after their passage on earth. Cornelis de Heem performs sumptuous tables, in a rich palette, where splendor competes with virtuosity. Remarkable for its finesse of execution, this still life of a banquet is typical of the work of the master who excelled in rendering the textures and brilliance of silverware. This richly colored composition of a sumptuous breakfast testifies to the refinement of the dishes and the quintessence of luxury and sensuality... red and white grapes, peaches, peeled lemon with a rough texture, a few transparent cherries like ruby, a with blueberries and crabs. This grandiose staging combines natural richness and cultural richness. Diffuse light accentuates the shine on objects like this sugar bowl reflecting the window; and the transparency of the glass, contributing to the enhancement of all the elements of the composition and without forgetting in the very center, this large Pokal (vermeil cup in the 17th century). Cornelis de Heem, Dutch painter, born in 1631 in Leiden and died in 1695 in Antwerp. He is the son of the famous still life painter Jan Davidszoon de Heem (1606-1684) and the half-brother of Jan Jansz. by Heem. Very little is known of his life. He arrived in Antwerp as a child, in 1635 or 1636, when his father came to settle there. He was never registered as a student in the guild, but was probably trained in his father's studio because he continued his style by painting beautiful still lifes like him. In 1661, he became a member of the guild of painters in Antwerp, and stayed with his father in Utrecht in 1667. We find him in IJsselstein in 1676, but he may have worked in Amsterdam previously. He then moved to The Hague from 1676 to 1690, and there in December 1676 became a member of the guild, and in 1678 a member of the Confrérie Pictura. He taught painting to his son David Cornelisz de Heem. He settled in Antwerp in 1691 and died there in 1695. Provenance: Private collection Paris Beautiful state of conservation. Sold with invoice & certificate Ease of payment on request