(first mentioned c. 1674 in Leiden, 1676–80 active in The Hague, died after 1706)
A banketje with a peeled lemon, a Wanli bowl, two oranges, and a full rummer,
oil on panel, 49 x 38 cm, framed

Provenance:
Collection T. W. H. Ward, London;
Galerie Douwes, Amsterdam;
Private collection, France

Literature:
R. Warner, Dutch and Flemish Flower and Fruit Painters in the 17th and 18th Centuries, London, 1928, pl. 71d

We are grateful to Fred Meijer for confirming the authenticity of the present painting on the basis of a photograph.

The Lexikon der holländischen Stilllebenmaler im 17. Jahrhundert (Lingen, 1995) says about the present composition and its painter: ‘This small painting composed of plain objects can be considered a characteristic still life by the hand of Martinus Nellius: several pieces of fruit and a wine glass arranged on a tablecloth, in which a fly or butterfly is rarely missing. With such highly atmospheric pictures this painter is diametrically opposed to those bold, even aloof works painted by his Leiden contemporaries. By means of light, shade, and colour, he succeeded in evoking moods and suggesting preciousness without rendering precious objects [...].’ The present painting exhibits all of Martinus Nellius’s characteristic features and is therefore an interesting addition to his oeuvre.