Still life of fruit with lizard
Oil on canvas,
58 x 74 cm.
Framed 76 x 92 cm.
This magnificent still life (of which the related pendant is also available - link -), depicts a composition of fruit, arranged on a plane with a dark background, including some juicy bunches of grapes of different qualities, freshly picked from the vines on whose leaves there are still some dewdrops, some apricots placed in a woven wicker basket and some ripe figs placed on a silver plate that reflects their shapes. On the right is a curious lizard, which turns to check it is not seen.
It is an extremely fascinating work, thanks to its detailed and realistic style, harmonious composition and masterful use of colour and light, which give the objects a greater plasticity against the dark background.
Each fruit represented in the work is meticulously painted, capturing its texture, shape and colour with great precision, with a detailed approach that creates a sense of realism.
The compositional taste of the canvas easily allows us to trace its authorship back to a master trained in the fervid 17th century Baroque Rome, in particular Franz Werner von Tamm, known as Monsù Daparait (Hamburg 1658-Vienna 1754), as he fully exemplifies its specific characteristics, both in terms of execution and inventiveness.
Von Tamm was certainly one of the most variegated personalities in the large number of naturamortists active in Rome, carrying out a highly successful career in the Papal City; thanks to his friendship with the figurist painter Carlo Maratti, Tamm worked for the great collectors of the aristocracy such as the Pallavicini, Falconieri and Spada families; important patrician commissions that spread his fame throughout Europe: Spain, France, England and Germany. Short stays in Florence and Venice followed, and then the appointment as court painter in Vienna by Emperor Leopold.
To corroborate the attributive reference we illustrate below some compositions with the same theme as the painter.
The same lizard, for example, can be found in a painting by the painter, from a private collection, catalogued in the Fondazione Zeri,(https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/entry/photo/156262/Anonimo%20-%20Stilleben%20n.%20F.%20W.%2....
Below are two works, with the same size and type of composition as ours, which could in particular be complements to the series or created in conjunction with it:
- Still Life of Fruit (Alte Pinakothek München): https://www.sammlung.pinakothek.de/en/artwork/JzG60p2xWO#&gid=1&pid=1
- Still Life of Fruit with Snail (Alte Pinakothek München): https://www.sammlung.pinakothek.de/en/artwork/rqxNrgjxvW/franz-werner-von-tamm/fruechtestueck
Also
- Still Life of Fruit with Melons and Figs, c. 1690, (Hamburger Kunsthalle Museum): https://rkd.nl/images/281635
- Still Life with White Rabbit, dated 1691 (State Museum Karlsruhe): https://rkd.nl/images/279511
- Still Life of Fruit with Game, dated 1720 (Galerie Belvedere Museum Vienna): https://rkd.nl/images/288916
- Still Life with Apple Tree (National Museum in Warsaw): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tamm_Still_life_with_a_musk_melon.jpg
- Still Life with Fruit (Alte Pinakothek Nürnberg): https://www.sammlung.pinakothek.de/en/artwork/8MLv9gyxz3/franz-werner-von-tamm/fruechtestillleben
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The painting is completed by an antique wooden frame and is sold with a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.
We take care of and organise the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.
Contact us for any information, we will be happy to answer you.
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