Set against the cool smooth surface of the white marble this vibrant and beautifully observed array of fruits is one of jan van dael’s quintessential works, showcasing his consummate skill in rendering contrasting textures, heightened by the juxtaposition between the organic forms of nature and the solidity of the stone support. When offered for sale in 1840 from the artist’s personal collection, this elegant still life was described as one of his most accomplished works. A self-taught painter, jan frans van dael was one of the leading still-life painters of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century france. Born in antwerp, he relocated to paris in 1786 at the age of 23, receiving several important commissions, including contributions to the decorative programs at the châteaux of st cloud, bellevue and chantilly. His patrons included figures such as charles x (1757–1836) and napoléon bonaparte (1769–1821) and his wife joséphine de beauharnais (1763–1814). He was admitted to the salon for the first time in 1793 and continued to exhibit there to great acclaim until 1833. In 1806 he joined an artist’s studio at the sorbonne, training alongside his friend christiaen van pol (1752–1813) and vicomtesse iphigénie decaux, née milet-moreau (1780–1862). For examples of works by both these artists please refer to lots 38, 40, 41 and 43. His refined compositions bear the influences of his master gerard van spaendonck (1746–1822) and contemporary pierre-joseph redouté (1759–1840), successfully combining the traditions of dutch flower painting with the decorative exuberance characteristic of french eighteenth-century taste. A watercolour of this composition omitting the fly resting on the marble ledge was formerly in the collection of dramatist henri lavedan (1859–1940), paris. Moreover, a comparable still life of peaches and grapes on a ledge also painted on marble and datable to about 1819 is in the musée des beaux-arts d'orléans. Date: 1819. Dimensions: 35.2 x 43.2 cm.; 13⅞ x 17 in.. Medium: oil on marble. Jan Frans van Dael - Still life with a pineapple, grapes, plums and a peach with a butterfly and fly, all upon a marble ledge
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