A still life of flowers, fruit, and musical instruments, oil on canvas, 76 x 121.3 cm, framed

We are grateful to M. Fabrice Faré for confirming the attribution of the present painting (personal communication to the previous owner).

This sumptuous still life is a work by the rare artist François Habert, who ranks among the most important still life painters of 17th Century France. Apart from two references in publications by Michel Faré, he is only mentioned in two other sources: on the one hand, a ‘guirlande de fleurs du sieur Habert’ is listed in the estate inventory of Philippe de Champaigne, and on the other hand, a still life of flowers by the artist appears in the inventory of the collection of Charles Tardif, secretary to Maréchal de Boufflers, which was compiled in 1728 and states that the picture had been purchased from M. de Catinat in 1712. Today, however, a number of works by Habert are known, which makes it possible for us to reconstruct the artist’s working environment. Several of his flower still lifes are closely related to such artists as Jean Michel Picart, while his still lifes of fruit suggest a strong influence from the Dutch school, particularly from Jan Fyt and Jan Davidsz. de Heem. The present composition can be assigned to a small group of large still lifes by Habert’s hand that are characterized by the same dark, monochrome background. All of these pictures show well-organized and harmonious compositions, with the principal elements distinctly and distinctly defined and related to each other in a subtle manner.