G. VAN DEYNUM (Active 1654)
A Crab, Orange and Oysters on a Partially Draped Table
oil on panel
9.1 x 7.1 inches (23 x 18 cm.)
PROVENANCE
Private European Collection
In this charming panel a crab, oysters and an orange are displayed on a partially draped wooden table. The shellfish point to the bounty of the seas that surround The Netherlands while the orange, originally imported as a delicacy from the Far East, its affluence. While outstanding in its simplicity, there is an underlying vanitas message symbolized by the decaying leaves of the orange meant to remind the viewer of the transience of life.
Almost nothing is known about G. van Deynum although it is thought that he was born in Antwerp from the artistic family of the same name. He was particularly influenced by Jan Davidsz. de Heem and at times painted portions of De Heem’s works of the late 1640’s and early 1650’s into his compositions.[1] In this painting the crab recalls one in De Heem’s still life from circa 1651 in the Princely Collections of Liechtenstein (inv, no. 777). It depicts a sumptuous still life on a partially draped table in which a crab is placed similarly at the far-left edge of the table.[2]
[1] Adriaan van der Willigen & Fred G. Meijer, “G. Van Deynum” in A Dictionary of Dutch and Flemish Still Life Painters Working in Oils 1525 – 1725, Primavera Press, Leiden, 2003, pp. 72 – 73.
[2] Written correspondence from Fred G. Meijer dated December 7, 2025, in which he points out the possible source of this crab.