Juan van der Hamen y León (Madrid, 1596 – 1631)
Large Fruit Still Life with Pears, Figs and Apricots, 1627
Signed and dated in the lower right corner
Oil on canvas
Oil on canvas
61 × 97.5 cm
Further images
Provenance
Rieunier–Bailly–Pommery–Mathias, Paris, 1994;
Derek Johns Ltd., London, 1997;
Caylus Anticuario S.A., Madrid, 1999;
Private collection, Madrid;
Fondo Cultural Villar Mir, Madrid
Exhibitions
Mexico City, Museo Nacional de San Carlos, 1996, Nature and TruthThis refined still life exemplifies the clarity and balance that characterize the work of Juan van der Hamen y León, one of the leading still-life painters in seventeenth-century Madrid during the reign of Philip IV of Spain. A monumental fruit stand filled with figs forms the center of the composition, flanked symmetrically by delicate glass vases containing flowers. Set against a dark background and illuminated by controlled light, the objects appear with striking precision and material presence.
Beyond its visual harmony, the composition carries subtle symbolic meanings. The vine leaf crowning the fruit evokes abundance and classical associations with wine, while the opened fig and the fallen carnation on the ledge introduce a quiet reflection on the fragility and transience of beauty—an understated theme characteristic of early Spanish Baroque still life painting.
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