As part of the sale dedicated to old paintings and drawings, historical souvenirs, furniture and art objects, PIASA auction house is offering for sale on Thursday, June 4th, 2020 a work by Antwerp painter Jacob van Hulsdonck.
Jacob van Hulsdonck was born in Antwerp in 1582. In the face of the strong religious tensions in the region at the time, the painter went into exile in Middelburg, Zeeland. He then joined the member of the Guild of Saint Luke Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, who specialised in the still life genre that was very popular at that time.
When he returned to Antwerp in 1608, the artist joined the guild of painters of the city before taking over, for more than ten years, the direction of a particularly active workshop. Fruits and flowers multiplied on the surface of the works he produced.
In keeping with the strictest iconographic tradition of the Northern Schools, his paintings are very popular, particularly among Flemish emigrant painters in northern Germany. His virtuosity in the treatment of illusionism will have a decisive influence on Frans Snyders, also a native of Antwerp.
Jacob van HULSDONCK (Anvers, 1582-1647)
Panier de fruits sur un entablement
Cuivre
27×36cm
Petites restaurations anciennes.
Provenance : Vente Anonyme, Tours, 16 février
2004 (Me Giraudeau), n° 46.
Panier de fruits sur un entablement, the work offered for sale on Thursday, June, 4th, 2020, is emblematic of his work. On a black background, simply placed on a wooden entablature, fruit contained in wicker paper illustrates the meticulousness that Jacob van Hulsdonck was capable of. On the thin skin of the grapes, a dot of white paint is enough to suggest lateral light. The diversity of the fruits allows the painter to vary the chromatic range. But while these motifs charm the eye of the viewer, they are also vehicles of an extremely codified symbolism. For example, the dragonfly - delicately placed on the apricot to the left of the composition - is supposed to recall, by the lightness of its small frail body, the brevity of earthly life.
This rare work is offered with an estimate of between 40,000 and 60,000 euros. Jacob van Hulsdonck's paintings are now presented in prestigious collections, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles and the Pitti Palace in Florence.
