GASPAR PEETER VERBRUGGEN - STILL LIFE WITH FLOWERS & FRUIT AROUND A FOUNTAIN

Bellmans are delighted to be offering this superb example of Verbruggen’s still life painting, which hung for decades at Mottisfont Abbey and recently returned to the family who have owned it for three generations.

Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen the younger was born in Antwerp, the son of Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen the Elder and his first wife Catharina van Everdonck. Verbruggen the elder was a successful artist, painting the same subject in similar style, and trained his son from an early age. Verbruggen the younger enjoyed early success becoming a master of the Guild of St. Luke. He collaborated with various prominent artists of the age including figure painter Peter Ykens (1648-1695) and Jacob Leyssens (1661-1710) and taught his half-brother, Balthasar Hyacinth Verbruggen. In June 1700 he married Dymphna van der Voort but he was widowed only two years later. Despite his success he fell into debt and sold his house along with numerous paintings in 1703. Relocating to The Hague in 1705 he recovered financially for a brief period before running up further debts and returning to Antwerp where he remained until his death.

On an impressive scale, the present work depicts a profusion of flowers surrounding a flowing fountain carved with a satyr. Exuberantly rendered, but with a meticulous attention to horticultural detail, the flowers represent different seasons of the year, with tulips and crown imperials from spring, through to roses and peonies from high summer and lilies and fruit from early autumn. The present work comes to market for the first time since being acquired by the grandparents of the present owner from Aitken Dott in the early 20^th century.

The present work will be included in our Old Master, British & European sale on the 26th March