Balthasar van der Ast (Midelburg, 1594 - Delft, 1657) Attributed - Still Life with Basket of Fruit (c. 1627)

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GRAND MARCH AUCTION OF OLD MASTERS AND COLONI...

By Templum Fine Art Auctions

Mar 25, 2026

Set Reminder 2026-03-25 10:00:00 2026-03-25 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : GRAND MARCH AUCTION OF OLD MASTERS AND COLONIAL ART https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/templum-fine-art-auctions/grand-march-auction-of-old-masters-and-colonial-art-22766
AUCTION · 25 MARCH · 3:00 PM EXHIBITION OPEN FROM 13 MARCH Templum Fine Art Auctions info@templumauctions.com

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• Lot Description
  Oil on panel. Dimensions: 38.4 x 52 cm. Signed and dated in the lower left corner: “B. van der Ast f. 1642”. The abundant basket of fruit that dominates the composition is not merely decorative, but rather partakes of the complex moral and religious symbolism characteristic of 17th-century Dutch still lifes. The fruits, arranged with careful balance both within the basket and on the table, acquire a hierarchical meaning that reinforces the spiritual message of the scene. Peaches, apricots, and bunches of grapes, associated with the redemption of sins, partially cover an apple, a traditional symbol of original sin. In the foreground appear other fruits also imbued with symbolic resonance: walnuts, whose interior recalls the flesh of Christ and whose shell alludes to the wood of the Cross; cherries, evoking Paradise; the pear, linked to the Virgin Mary; and the melon, which refers to earthly pleasures. To this spiritual dimension is added the theme of vanitas, suggested by the presence of insects: the butterfly alludes to the fragility of life, while the fly perched on the fruit introduces the idea of ​​the corruption of matter. In this way, the cycle of the seasons and the abundance of fruit become a reflection on the fleeting nature of existence, the inevitability of death, and, at the same time, the promise of resurrection. From a stylistic point of view, the work belongs to the pictorial tradition developed by Balthasar van der Ast, one of the leading specialists in still lifes of the early 17th century. Trained alongside his brother-in-law Ambrosius Bosschaert, Van der Ast worked in Utrecht and later in Delft, where he developed refined compositions characterized by the meticulous depiction of objects, the clarity of the neutral background, and the careful arrangement of flowers, fruits, shells, or exotic porcelain, reflecting the commercial and maritime power of the Dutch Republic. However, the painting also exhibits close affinities with the early work of ...
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