Jacob van Walscapelle

Jacob van Walscapelle Lobster on a Pewter Plate with Fruit and Wine Glasses on a Ledge Oil on canvas (relined). 62.5 x 50 cm. Certificate Sam Segal, Amsterdam, 12.3.1995. Provenance Auctioned by Christie’s, New York, 11.1.1995, lot 95. - Galerie Xaver Scheidwimmer, Munich. - German private collection. Exhibitions TEFAF, Maastricht, 11.-19.3.1995. Jacob van Walscapelle belonged to the generation of Dutch still life painters of the second half of the 17th century whose works were inspired by those of Jan Davidsz de Heem and the opulent still life style which he developed. Today, Walscapelle's sumptuous and highly detailed works are among the most sought-after still lifes of the Dutch Golden Age. In this work, the artist presents a rich assortment of precious and luxurious foods and objects on a grey stone slap supported by a sculpted putto. The composition is arranged diagonally from the lower left to the upper right and is dominated by the red lobster on a pewter plate. The lobster is flanked on the left by three open oysters and a bunch of black grapes on the right. Behind the lobster we see a Chinese dish filled with black and white grapes, an apricot, two peaches, blackberries, and walnuts. The diagonal line of the composition is broken by two magnificent drinking glasses which reflect the light and the objects around them, contrasting against the midnight blue of the background. We see one unusual winged glass with an octagonal cuppa and a Venetian style cup and cover whose detailed finial forms the top of the composition. We would like to thank Dr Fred Meijer for confirming that the present work was authored by Jacob van Walscapelle in the 1680s. He dates the work slightly later than Sam Segal, who suggests a date of around 1675 in his expertise.