Anonymous oil painting in the manner of Pieter van Roestraten, depicting a still life with silver tankard. English School, ca. 1700.

A still life with a silver tankard, salt-cellar, and plate, two loaves of bread and a bunch of radishes, a venetian wine-glass and a bottle of wine

Presented by Art Fund

Presented by the Art Fund, 1923. It was lot 61 at the sale at Christie's of different properties on 15th Nov. 1918 and was catalogued as "'A Silver Tankard and Viands [articles of food] on a Table' by E. Collier".
A museum label from the date of the painting's acquisition in 1923 reads: "In the style of Edwaert Collyer (fl.1662-96). Given by Mr. Lionel A. Crichton through the National Art-Collections Fund. The principal objects depicted appear to be:- Tankard, silver. London hall-mark for 1688. Salt-cellar, silver. English; about 1690. Plate, silver. English; second half of 17th century. Bottle, green glass. English; about 1700. Wine-glass. Probably Venetian; second half of 17th century".

Historical significance: This work appears to be by an English artist working in the style of 17th century Dutch still life painters and was probably familiar with works by artists such as Edward Collier (ca. 1640-ca. 1710) and Pieter van Roestraten (ca.1630-1700) who were both of Dutch origin but worked in England for English patrons for whom they painted 'portraits' of their valued objects. The principal objects depicted are all English. The tankard for example bears a London hall-mark for 1688. The silver salt-cellar, silver dates to about 1690 and the silver plate to the second half of 17th century. The green glass wine bottle is also English, of about 1700 and the wine-glass appears often in Dutch paintings as a glas a la façon de venise and dates to the second half of 17th century.

The term ‘still life’ conventionally refers to works depicting an arrangement of diverse inanimate objects including fruits, flowers, shellfish, vessels and artefacts. The term derives from the Dutch 'stilleven', which became current from about 1650 as a collective name for this type of subject matter. Still-life reached the height of its popularity in Western Europe, especially in the Netherlands, during the 17th century although still-life subjects already existed in pre-Classical, times. In the Low Countries, the first types of still life to emerge were flower paintings and banquet tables by artists like Floris van Schooten (c.1585-after 1655). Soon, different traditions of still life with food items developed in Flanders and in the Netherlands where they became especially popular commodities in the new bourgeois art market. Dutch painters played a major role the development of this genre, inventing distinctive variations on the theme over the course of the century while Flemish artist Frans Snyders' established a taste for banquet pieces. These works were developed further in Antwerp by the Dutchman Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606-1684) who created opulent baroque confections of fruit, flowers, and precious vessels that became a standardized decorative type throughout Europe. Scholarly opinion had long been divided over how all of these images should be understood. The exotic fruits and valuable objects often depicted testify to the prosperous increase in wealth in cities such as Amsterdam and Haarlem but may also function as memento mori, or vanitas, that is, reminders of human mortality and invitations to meditate upon the passage of time.

This painting was formerly given to Edward Collier [Collyer] (ca. 1640-ca. 1710) a Dutch artist working in London or a follower. Recent examination suggests that this attribution is untenable. Fred Meijer (written communication) has confirmed (based on photographs only) that it is the work of an English painter ca. 1700 (April, 2010) painted in the manner of Dutch 17th century still lifes. The skillfull depiction of silverware recalls the work of Pieter van Roestraten who was also working in London in this period.

A still life with a silver tankard, salt-cellar, and plate, two loaves of bread and a bunch of radishes, a venetian wine-glass and a bottle of wine. This work appears to be by an English artist working in the style of 17th century Dutch still life painters and was probably familiar with works by artists such as Edward Collier (ca. 1640-ca. 1710) and Pieter van Roestraten (ca.1630-1700) who were both of Dutch origin but worked in England for English patrons for whom they painted 'portraits' of their valued objects. The principal objects depicted are all English. The tankard for example bears a London hall-mark for 1688. The silver salt-cellar, silver dates to about 1690 and the silver plate to the second half of 17th century. The green glass wine bottle is also English, of about 1700 and the wine-glass appears often in Dutch paintings as a glas a la façon de venise and dates to the second half of 17th century. The Victoria and Albert Museum contains several autograph works painted by van Roestraten in England.

P.28-1923