(Antwerp 1601–1678)
Mixed flowers in a basket with a Tazza nearby,
oil on panel, 59 x 86.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, Switzerland;
where bought by the present owners in the 1980s;
Private collection, Belgium

Literature:
E. Greindl, Les Peintres flamands de nature morte au XVIIième siècle, Brussels 1983, p.152 and 154, no. 79
M.-L. Hairs, Les Peintres flamands de fleurs au XVIIième siècle, Brussels 1985, p. 96 and 98, no. 24

Contrary to Edith Greindl and Marie-Louise Hairs, both of whom identified the present painting as a work by Jan Brueghel I in their certificates and published it accordingly, Klaus Ertz regards the painting to be an authentic work by Jan Brueghel II. In his certificate from September 1986 he writes: ‘This painting can be said to be in excellent condition. The colours give a brilliant impression. The paints have been applied thickly in the impasto technique, and I could not detect any thinned areas resulting from overly sharp cleaning. I was unable to notice any retouches or overpainting with the naked eye, i.e. without the aid of technical instruments […]. Unlike Edith Greindl […] I am convinced that this painting was made by his son, Jan Brueghel the Younger, who obviously borrowed from an original by the hand of his father that has unfortunately remained unknown to me. In my catalogue raisonné of the paintings by Jan Brueghel the Elder (Ertz 1979, pp. 294ff., figs. 368–370) I already listed three closely related flower still lifes, which in my opinion, although of outstanding quality, do not betray the features typical of Jan I.’

Ertz mentions three comparable paintings by Jan Brueghel the Younger published by him (K. Ertz, Jan Brueghel d. J., Freren 1984) which are similar in terms of composition, individual motifs, and colouring:

(1) Bowl of Flowers (Museo del Prado, Madrid, 1630s, Ertz 1984, cat. no. 284, ill.);
(2) Still Life with Flower Basket and Goblet (formerly Aardenne Collection, Dordrecht, 1630s, Ertz 1984, cat. no. 287, ill.);
(3) Still Life with Flower Basket and Goblet (Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest, 1630s, Ertz 1984, cat. no. 288, ill.)

Ertz continues: ‘As these examples date from the 1630s and the painting to be assessed is closely related to them, it must have been executed during the same period. This date is also suggested by the brushwork, which, although emulating that of the father, increasingly broke away from it over time, developing into a broader, more painterly and less structured manner of painting that can already be observed in the present painting. No painter at the time except for the son, following his father’s example, would have been capable of rendering this still life with such jewel-like, brilliant colours.’

We are grateful to Klara Alen for the support illustration listing the various flowers.