Willem Kalf attributed, ‘Still Life with Silver Vessel’, 17th C Oil on canvas, relined Holland, 17th Century Willem Kalf (1619/22-93) attributed – Dutch still life and genre painter Illustrated in: Portraits of Objects: Oscar and Maria Salzer Collection of Still Life and Trompe-L'oeil Paintings, Cat. No. 49, 1984 Recently exhibited in 2003 in the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery in Oregon Overall dimensions, framed: 67 x 58.5 cm Provenance: German private collection, ex. Collection of Oscar and Maria Salzer, Los Angeles Willem Kalf is one of the most important Dutch still life painters of the 17th Century, who significantly developed the illusionistic still life painting, remarkably influencing the artists of his time; Still lifes attributed to him fetch up to 130,000 Euro at international auctions This ‘Still Life with Silver Vessel’ can be attributed to the painter Willem Kalf (1619/22-93) who was one of the most important Dutch still life painters from the Rembrandt School. In his ‘Banquet Scenes’ (banketjes) he created well-conceived still life compositions, often featuring very precious objects made of gold, silver, tin and glass. On one hand, he focused on the depiction of the typical wealth of the Dutch Golden Age, on the other he aimed for a trompe-l’oeil effect in the objects, which he obtained through skillfully captured lighting effects.Due to the strong chiaroscuro contrast, through which the objects in the background only vaguely stand out from the dark, the artfully draped fabric, the harmony in image structure and colours and the ornate silver vessel the painting can be attributed to the painter Willem Kalf. Also, the half-filled wine glass is a typical pictorial element of Kalf. The vessel, the glass and the pitcher show his characteristic light reflection points with an amazingly realistic effect. All these facts allow an attribution to Kalf, even though it was mentioned in earlier catalogues as having been painted by an unknown Dutch painter. The painting has an exclusive provenance as it comes from the collection of Oscar and Maria Salzer and was for years part of their loan and thus exhibited in the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art & Science before it came into the possession of the current owner. It is mentioned and illustrated in the catalogue from the Fresno museum „Oscar and Maria Salzer Collection of Still Life and Trompe-L'oeil Paintings” under the number 49. The exhibition history of the still life is also quite extraordinary, as labels on the back of the framing board indicate; it has been shown in the University of Southern California and a handwritten label indicates several other exhibitions. In 2003 it was shown in the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery in Oregon in the exhibition „Feast the Eye, Fool the Eye: Still Life and Trompe L'oeil Paintings from the Oscar and Maria Salzer Collection“. The frame itself features a label by the Mint Museum of Art. The painting is in an age appropriate condition. The canvas has been trimmed and relined as well as fixed with framing paper. The colour layer has been strongly varnished; beneath the varnish, some large scale colour touch-ups can be seen, especially in the background and around the margin. The colour layer shows craquelure. The overall dimensions of the work in its frame are 67 x 58.5 cm; the dimensions of the stretcher frame are 53 x 44.5 cm. The black wooden frame is in good condition, with minimal traces of use. Willem Kalf (1619/22-93) Willlem Kalf is one of the most important Dutch still life painters of the 17th century, being associated with the Rembrandt School in the broader sense. The sources indicate that he enjoyed high reputation among his contemporaries. In his early still lifes, he was, among others, inspired by Pieter Claesz, Willem Heda Claeszoon, Floris van Schooten, Jan de Heem Davidszoon and Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten. From the late 1630s, he showed the influence of Rembrandt’s paintings in his works. In his early work, Kalf firstly painted rural interiors and kitchen pieces with simple household items and gray-brown colour range. Later, he developed his famous ‘sumptuous still lives’, in which he firstly emphasized the preciousness, and then the materiality through sophisticated lighting effects. Kalf specialized in arrangements of fine gold and silver items, porcelain and glassware, which he often combined with fruits and flowers. Sometimes exotic items were added, indicating the Netherlands’ richness due to the overseas trade. His later still lifes are characterized by Rembrandt’s deeply shining colours. Starting price: 4000