Lot 172: CARSTIAN LUYCKX

STILL LIFE OF A BASKET OF FRUIT, FLOWERS IN A GILT VASE, A NAUTILUS SHELL AND OTHER OBJECTS ON A DRAPED TABLE NEAR AN OPEN WINDOW, A LANDSCAPE BEYOND

31 1/4 by 39 1/4 in.; 79.4 by 99.7 cm.

oil on canvas

Apollo, June 1972, p. 57, reproduced (as by Luyckx).

Anonymous sale, Berlin, Lepke, March 20, 1900, lot 66 (as by Joris van Son);
Max Steinthal, Berlin;
By whose estate sold ("The Property of The late Max Steinthal sold by order of his son"), London, Christie's, November 26, 1971, lot 78 (as by Joris van Son);
With Leger Galleries, London, 1972 (as by Luyckx).

This beautiful still life, thought at one time to be a work by Joris van Son, was recognized as a work by Carstian Luyckx when with Leger Galleries in the 1970s (see Provenance). Fred Meijer of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, The Hague supports the attributuion to Luyckx, based on images, and dates it to the early 1650s. However, the handling of the fruit is more consistent with the work of Peter Willebeeck, another still life master in the Antwerp guild, and it is possible the two artists collaborated on this still life.

We would like to thank Dr. Monika Tatzkow for her help in researching the provenance of this painting.