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THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN

A VANITAS STILL LIFE WITH BOOKS AND LEAFLETS, A GLOBE, A PRINCELY FLAG, A MUSICAL SCORE, MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, A JEWELLERY BOX, AN HOURGLASS, ALL ON A DRAPED TABLE TOGETHER WITH A SILVER TAZZA, COINS, A WATCH, AND A PURSE

A VANITAS STILL LIFE WITH BOOKS AND LEAFLETS, A GLOBE, A PRINCELY FLAG, A MUSICAL SCORE, MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, A JEWELLERY BOX, AN HOURGLASS, ALL ON A DRAPED TABLE TOGETHER WITH A SILVER TAZZA, COINS, A WATCH, AND A PURSE

measurements note
99.4 by 122.8 cm.

Inscribed on a leaflet lower centre: WILHELMUS BY DER/GRATIE GODTS. PRINCE VAN OR/AENGIEN. GRAVE VAN NASSAU.& C/MARQUIZ VAN VEERE. EN VLISSINGE/ BARON VAN BREDA. GOUVER/NEUR OVER GELDERLANDT./HOLANDT./ZEELANDT.WEST/VRIESLANDT.&C GENERAEL/VAN DE RUYTERYE/1632 and inscribed on the book centre right: Aande geboorte.leven/...verleydinge vanden valschen/bedrieger/MACHOMET and on a leaflet upper right: VANITAS/VANITATUM/ET OMNIA /VANITAS

oil on panel

PROVENANCE

Lekanne Deprez, Oegstgeest, by 1962 (as Jan Davidsz. de Heem);
Private collection, Amstelveen;
Thence by descent.

NOTE

The princely flag and the very specific text on the sheet of paper lower centre may indicate that this picture was painted as a commemoration of one of the Princes of Orange. Since the text is anachronistic, it may allude indirectly to the appointment of William III of Orange as a Stadtholder in the provinces Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel in 1672, 22 years after the office of Stadtholder was suspended upon the death of his father William II, the so-called Stadhouderloze Tijdperk. If so, it can be considered as a relatively early work, when the artist was still living in Leiden.

This would coincide with the opinion of Fred G. Meijer, who considers his early works to be the finest (see: A. van der Willigen, F.G. Meijer, A Dictionary of Dutch and Flemish Still-life Painters Working in Oils 1525-1725, Leiden 2003, p. 64).
This painting can be compared with two other Vanitas Still lifes, both dated 1662, one upright offered, New York, Christie's, 6 April 2006, lot 72, the other, sold, London, Sotheby's, 17 Decemebr 1998, lot 39 (for £ 170,000).