Still Life with Nautilus Cup and Fruit

1912, Collection Lesser Lesser, Esq. (London, England); 10 February 1912, Christie’s (London, England) auction [attributed to Willem Kalf]. By 1924, Collection Dr. Sidney Martin (London, England); 12 December 1924, Christie’s (London, England) auction [lot 20] [attributed to Willem Kalf]; by 1928, Collection Theodore W. H. Ward (Hampstead, London, England). 1950, M. Bernard [dealer] (London, England) [attributed to Barend van der Meer] [1]; after 1950, Mr. and Mrs. Marc B. Rojtman (Milwaukee, WI, and New York, NY); January 1962, gifted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison; 1967, transferred to the Elvehjem Art Center [now called Chazen Museum of Art] [1] source: Karin Bastian. "Georg Hinz und sein Stillebenwerk." Hamburg, 1984. p. 256.

• Elvehjem Museum of Art. "Artscene." Summer 1997. p. 11
• Elvehjem Museum of Art. "Handbook of the Collection." Elvehjem Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Madison, 1990. no. 46
• Warner, Ralph. "Dutch and Flemish Flower and Fruit Painters of the XVIIth and XVIIIth Centuries." Amsterdam: B. M. Israel N.V., 1928. pp. 140-1, pl. 65b

• Naturalism and Metaphor: The Baroque Still Life: University Art Museum, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 9/22/1985–10/20/1985

This painting depicts various objects decoratively arranged upon a wooden table. The tablescape features an opulent stemmed cup created from a nautilus shell. The stem of the cup is a figurine of Neptune standing nude, holding a gold trident, and appearing to hold the nautilus shell on his shoulder. The white iridescent nautilus shell is embellished with gold and pearl accents and carved and pierced with an elegant curvilinear design. To the left of the nautilus cup, loops of sugared pink and white candies sit on a gold platter, the sugar crystals sparkle in the light. To the right of the nautilus cup sits a wide-rimmed, blue and white ceramic bowl that holds apricots, peaches, and figs, one of which is broken open exposing its red seeds. This bowl sits upon a silver tray with a scalloped rim which rests on a colorful woven textile with a red, blue, and golden yellow design. The weave and material of the textile has been painted in crisp detail to evoke its texture. Behind the nautilus cup stands a set of glassware, a jug and two covered goblets with ornate stems and finials, holding red wine. The glassware is barely visible against the dark background, their shapes and designs formed by white highlights of reflected light.

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