(Marseilles 1630–1705) An opulent still-life with a lidded goblet, shells, a jardinière, a pocket watch and a French book of heraldry on a sculptural frieze in a Classical columned building, oil on canvas, 58.4 x 73 cm, framed

Provenance: Sotheby’s auction, New York, 01.06. 1990, lot 93. This characteristic work by the Marseilles painter, Comte exemplifies the importance of the artist in the development of French still-life painting of the late ‘grand siècle’. The open book of heraldry should be understood as a heraldic allusion to the commissioning patron. Trained under Rudolphe Ziegler, a painter of German origin, Comte is first mentioned during his visit to Rome in 1651. Three years later he settled in his native town, evidently by then an artist of some reputation. In his opulent still-lifes, he depicts, as he does here, mostly Baroque show pieces of the gold and silversmith art with impressive technical virtuousity. By means of exotic juxtaposition with objects belonging to a typical Kunstkammer, the shells and pocket watch set in the antiquising architectural backdrop correspond with the courtly taste of the artist’s contemporaries. This explains his renown in Paris and Versailles, even though he remained in Marseilles for his entirely life. As early as 1675, Louis XIV had appointed this artist as peintre du roi. This painting is an important example of the work of this artist. There has recently been increased academic interest in his oeuvre because, as Pierre Rosenberg says, his works are “curiosities in a literal sense, beyond the decorative, and awaken the interest of the observer” (P. Rosenberg, in: Französische Meisterwerke des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts in deutschen Sammlungen, Bonn/Munich/Paris 2006, p. 326).