Offered by Antichità Castelbarco
Pieter Casteels III (Antwerp 1684 - 1749 Richmond)
Signed and dated lower left, on the stone ‘P Casteels F. 1729
Floral still life with roses, peonies, daisies and other flowers in a carved vase resting on an antique frieze
oil on canvas
79 x 83 cm. - In frame 96 x 102 cm.
Provenance:
CHRISTIE'S New York, 26 January 2005, lot 14 (link)
LEMPERTZ, Cologne, 20 May, 2017, lot 1114 (link)
Superb quality and compositional refinement are the hallmarks of this magnificent still life, a signed jewel of the Antwerp master Pieter Casteels III (Antwerp 1684 - Richmond 1749): the work shows a rich floral composition, with roses, peonies, daisies and other flowers overflowing from a sculpted vase, resting on an antique frieze with a classical relief.
The still life excellently documents the expressive qualities of the painter, capable in his creations of creating a sequence of similar compositions but without falling into the banality of illustrative replication, displaying a descriptive sensibility of remarkable visual impact and refinement.
The still life, painted in 1729, is therefore a work from his mature artistic phase, the period most appreciated by collectors, as he favoured highly articulated and sumptuous compositions, often set against a landscape background, with rather large formats.
Stylistically, these works follow a taste which, from the manner of Gaspar Peter Verbruggen, evolved towards forms not only typical of the Netherlands, but which can easily be defined as European, with typically Italian inflections, winking at painters active in the Neapolitan-Roman environment such as Gasparo Lopez, Francesco Lavagna and Nicola Malinconico.
Pieter Casteels was born into an established family of painters in Amsterdam. He moved to England in 1708 and soon made a name for himself in the London art world. After a short stay in Antwerp, he settled permanently in London in 1717. As Castells spent most of his life in England, most of his works can now be found in private collections and British museums.
Among the paintings that can be compared are the two still lifes with flowers over carved basins, one of which is signed and dated 1729, sold at Christie's, London, on 6 November 1964, or the still life in a garden passed by Sotheby's, also in London, on 10 December 2015 (lot 134).
Delevery information :
We take care of and organise the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.
We take great care We personally take care of the packaging, to which we devote a great deal of care: each work is carefully packed, first with arti- cle material, then with a custom-made wooden box.
Should you have the desire to see this or other works in person, we would be happy to welcome you to our gallery in Riva del Garda, Viale Giuseppe Canella 18, we are always open by appointment only.
