EUR
CAD
AUD
GBP
MXN
HKD
CNY
MYR
SEK
SGD
CHF
THBImportant W* Mertens Still Life Painting
About Seller
PO Box 2135
Asheville, NC 28802
United States
Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Brunk Auctions has been conducting sales of fine and decorative arts for over 30 years. Auctions are held in our North Carolina sale room but attracts a global audience. Founded by Robert Brunk in 1983, the auctions became well known for their integrity and profes...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Two ways to bid:
- Leave a max absentee bid and the platform will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid during the live auction.
- Bid live during the auction and your bids will be submitted real-time to the auctioneer.
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $100 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
About Auction
LiveSep 29, 2022
Tillou Estate Day 1 Lots 1-335 including Continental; Old Masters; Asian; Numismatic & Related; Arms & Militaria Brunk Auctions support@brunkauctions.com
View Full Catalog (334)
- Lot Description
(Flemish, active 1640-1660)
An exuberant large fruit piece with crab, prawns, lobster on a fabric box with roemer, ornate silver tazza, repousse ewer, signed lower left on edge of table "W. Mertens", oil on canvas, 48-3/8 x 72-3/8 in.; fine Dutch style lacquered ripple molding frame, John Davis, maker, 57-7/8 x 82-1/8 in. [Old Masters]
Note: Fred Meijer, reflecting on this painting, states that, "Next to the former Heinz painting, it is the most prestigious by this artist, who must have been well aware of Jan Dz. de Heem?s work from the first half of the 1650s. W. Mertens has indeed not been properly identified. The Wouter Mertens that is recorded, in the 1640s, was an embroiderer. There is a Cornelis Mertens who became a pupil in 1644 and was recorded as a master in 1656 and who was last recorded in 1693. The dates fit for the oeuvre of W* Mertens, but there is no plausible explanation for the initial W instead of C."
Brunk Auctions would like to thank Fred Meijer for confirming this painting as the work of Mertens.
For a similar painting in size and composition see: Sotheby's New York, January 27, 2006, lot 246, sold for $330,000. This particular painting came with the provenance of John Heinz, III, Washington, DC, 1989, a collection Peter Tillou was instrumental in forming.
Exhibited: Sammlung Sir Joseph Robinson, 1840-1929, Kunsthaus Zurich, 1923, no. 23, as Jan Davidsz. De Heem; The Robinson Collection, The Royal Academy, London, 1958, no. 64, illus, as Jan Davidsz. De Heem; The Robinson Collection, National Gallery of South Africa, Cape Town, 1959, no. 35, illus., as Jan Davidsz. De Heem
Provenance: PriŠre de Rouge-CloŒtre, near Brussels; Sale, Couvents supprim‚s. DeDe Belgique, Brussels, 12.9.1758, no. 499; Collection Prince P. Galitzin, 1875; Collection F. Bischoffsheim; Galerie Sedelmeyer, Paris, 1895, Cat. II, no. 14, illus.; Collection Sir Joseph Robinson, as Jan Davidsz. De Heem; Collection Princess Labia, as Jan Davidsz. De Heem; Leger Galleries, London, April 1971 (label verso); The Estate of Peter H. Tillou, Litchfield, Connecticut
Condition
lined, craquelure, some minor areas of retouch, wear to signature; frame with abrasions
- Shipping Info
-
Purchased items will be available for pick up or shipping from our Asheville, North Carolina auction facility within ten business days of the auction will be assessed a storage fee of $5.00 per day, per item. Purchaser agrees that packing and shipping is done at the purchaser's risk and that the purchaser will pay in advance all packing expenses, materials, carrier fees and insurance charges. At our discretion, items will either be packed by an agent such as a packaging store or Brunk Auctions. Please allow two weeks for shipping after payment is received. Shipment of large items is the responsibility of the purchaser. We are happy to provide names of carriers and shippers if a purchaser so requests. Brunk Auctions will have no liability for any loss or damage to shipped items.
-
- Buyer's Premium
