(Antwerp 1623–1667)
A vanitas still life with fruit, a gilded goblet, a musical score, a shell and a skull,
oil on canvas, 67.5 x 80 cm, framed

Provenance:
Captain Edward George Spencer Churchill (1876–1964), Northwick Park, Blockley;
sale, Christie’s, London, 29 October 1965, lot 98;
sale, Christie’s, London, 10 December 2004, lot 59;
sale, Dorotheum, Vienna, 18 October 2016, lot 50;
Private collection, Germany

The present painting is registered in the RKD database under no. 0000049722 (as Joris van Son).

The present still-life, with its meticulous rendering of textures, and modelling of forms through the use of subtle lighting, comes from the hand of the Antwerp Baroque master Joris van Son. Famed for his pronkstillevens and less ostentatious depictions of fruit, and vanitas still lifes, van Son’s works exude the strong influence of the pioneering Dutch master Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606–1684), who ran an accomplished Antwerp workshop. Van Son may have assisted the great master, before being made a master himself of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1633.

Despite the rich celebration of natural beauty in van Son’s works, his membership of the Jesuit bachelor confraternity Sodaliteit van de Bejaerde Jongmans bears testament to the deep spirituality in his works, with an enduring sense of their being reflections on the transience of life. His popularity is attested to by mentions of his works in inventories of important artists and collectors of his time, such as Victor Wolfvoet. A keen master, his pupils included Frans van Everbroeck, Cornelis van Huynen, Norbert Montalie, Abraham Herderwijn and Jan Pauwel Gillemans the Younger.