JACOB ROTIUS (Hoorn 1644 – Hoorn 1681)
A Still Life with Grapes, Peaches, Plums, Pears, Lemons, Apricots and other Fruit in a Wan Li Bowl along with Ham and Wine on a Draped Marble Table
signed J Rotius. f with the two initials conjoined, on the table edge, in the lower left
oil on canvas
32 ½ x 41 inches (82 x 104 cm.)
SAYING GOODBYE TO SUMMER
It is almost Labor Day. That time of year when we say 'goodbye' to the delights of summer and start to welcome in the cooler weather and autumn leaves. Before the 16th century, harvest was the term usually used to refer to the season, as it is common in other West Germanic languages to this day (cf. Dutch herfst, German Herbst and Scots hairst). However, as more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns, the word harvest lost its reference to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual activity of reaping, and Autumn, as well as Fall, began to replace it as a reference to the season.
Fall or Autumn is also often represented by wealth and abundance. Sometimes by well -fed women covered in the fruit, vegetables and grains of the season or cornucopias displaying a gratefulness for the bounties of the earth. It is also often countered by the despondent. Daylight quickly reduces and people go inside, preparing to shelter for the winter. A greyness sweeps over the sky (particularly in Europe) as the end of summer becomes a reality.
This is where we find our painting. Caught between the joy of abundance and this saturnine autumn mood. Although at first glance this work can be viewed as an emblematic study of wealth and power, painted at a time when Holland was the richest nation in the world, cautionary notes are struck. The edge of the marble table is chipped as is its supporting pedestal. A number of leaves display holes and have begun to turn brown. A lone chestnut is visible near the center of the composition. Chestnuts appeared in the marketplace in autumn and perhaps can be viewed as a metaphor for the coming of winter. For the Dutch life was transitory. The present was to be enjoyed as the future was unknowable.
It is believed that Jacob Rotius first studied with his father the still life and portrait painter Jan Albertsz. Rotius. Around 1668 the influence of Willem Kalf on his work is suggestive of a sojourn in Amsterdam. It is further known that during this period Rotius married a woman from Amsterdam. He did return to Hoorn where his paintings became more reflective of those of Jan Davidsz. de Heem. Our luxurious banquet scene, that Fred Meijer, the leading authority on Dutch seventeenth century still lifes, dates to between 1670 – 1681, is an outstanding example from this period.
13 August, 2020