Jan Davidsz de Heem, Dutch, 1606-1683/84
Title: A Vanitas Fruit-piece
Date: 1653
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
85.5 x 65 cm
Signed: lower centre: J. de Heem, f.a.1653
Credit Line: Purchased, 1863
Object Number: NGI.11
DescriptionDe Heem’s portrayal of ripe fruit, some on the point of bursting, and the skull in the bottom right corner, symbolise the brevity of human life and the transience of earthly pleasures and achievements. The meaning of the painting is further deepened by the inclusion of religious symbols, such as the fig and the snake, alluding to the fall of grace, and the crucifix, referring to the possibility of salvation through the Passion of Christ.
De Heem was initially a painter of sober vanitas and book still lifes in Leiden. After his move to Antwerp in 1637 he began producing elaborate garlands and hanging bouquets, in addition to banquet displays with rich tableware. No other artist had such a profound influence on the development of Netherlandish still-life painting during the seventeenth century as de Heem. He was highly regarded during his lifetime and collectors paid high prices for his pictures. He sold one of his works, a portrait of Prince William III surrounded by flowers and fruit, for 2000 guilders, one of the highest prices paid for a Dutch painting during the seventeenth century.
March 2016
De Heem was initially a painter of sober vanitas and book still lifes in Leiden. After his move to Antwerp in 1637 he began producing elaborate garlands and hanging bouquets, in addition to banquet displays with rich tableware. No other artist had such a profound influence on the development of Netherlandish still-life painting during the seventeenth century as de Heem. He was highly regarded during his lifetime and collectors paid high prices for his pictures. He sold one of his works, a portrait of Prince William III surrounded by flowers and fruit, for 2000 guilders, one of the highest prices paid for a Dutch painting during the seventeenth century.
March 2016
ProvenanceCollection Lucas de Schamp(s), Ghent, 1745; by descent; Collection Schamp D'Averschoot; Regemorter, Ghent, 14 September 1840, Schamp D'Averschoot sale, lot 133; Collection George Blamire; purchased, Christie's, London, 7-9 November 1863, George Blamire sale, lot 49
Exhibition HistoryDutch Paintings of the Golden Age from the Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, Charles W. Bowers Memorial Museum, Santa Ana, California; Midland Arts Council, Midland, Michigan; Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina; Centre for the Fine Arts, Miami, Florida; IBM Gallery, New York, 1987
Stillleben im Goldenen Jahrhundert - Jan Davidsz de Heem und sein Kreis, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, 16 February - 14 April 1991; Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig, 9 May - 7 July 1991
Master European Paintings from the National Gallery of Ireland, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 6 June - 9 August 1992; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, 19 September - 6 December 1992; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 13 January - 28 March 1993; IBM Gallery, New York, 27 April - 26 June 1993
The Flemish Landscape, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, 18 March - 30 April 2002
Stillleben im Goldenen Jahrhundert - Jan Davidsz de Heem und sein Kreis, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, 16 February - 14 April 1991; Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig, 9 May - 7 July 1991
Master European Paintings from the National Gallery of Ireland, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 6 June - 9 August 1992; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, 19 September - 6 December 1992; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 13 January - 28 March 1993; IBM Gallery, New York, 27 April - 26 June 1993
The Flemish Landscape, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, 18 March - 30 April 2002
Label TextThe ripe fruit, some on the point of bursting, and the skull in the bottom right corner symbolise the brevity of human life and the transience of earthly pleasures and achievements. The meaning of the painting is further deepened by the inclusion of religious symbols, such as the fig and the snake alluding to the Fall from Grace, and the crucifix referring to the possibility of Salvation through the Passion of Christ. No other artist had such a profound influence on the development of Netherlandish still-life painting during the seventeenth century as De Heem.