Lot 18: Jacob Marrel (1614-1681), Still Life With Grapes, c. 1670/80

Jacob Marrel is probably best known for his paintings of sumptuous vases of flowers, presented on a ledge or in a niche. But from the mid-century onwards, he also painted compositions with fruit that fascinate through their richness and great sense for details. The present still life is a typical example of the late artistic period, when Marrel fell back on a rather stiff execution. The brilliance and luminosity of the grapes are however still reminiscent of the artist’s magnificent still lifes of his mature years.

Condition:
The painting is in good condition, consistent with age. The canvas is relined. The depiction reveals a number of tiny scattered retouchings, especially however along the edges. Some of them are visible to the bare eye. The stretcher measures 21 x 32 cm and the frame 33 x 47 cm.

Jacob Marrel (1614-1681)
Since 1624, Jacob Marrel lived in Frankfurt am Main, where he was a pupil of Georg Flegel. Around 1630, he worked under Jan Davidsz. de Heem in Utrecht, where he mainly focused on still life painting and in 1679 he returned to Frankfurt am Main. Some paintings by Jacob Marrel are signed with his Latinized name ‘Jacobus Marrellus’. Marrel‘s works are on display in major museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem and the Staatliche Kunsthalle in Karlsruhe. (cbo)

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