Jan Kašpar Hirschely (1695-1743)

A PAIR OF STILL LIFES

c. 1740
Oil on oak and spruce wood, 15,5x22 cm. Flowers in a glass vase on a table top. The typical scheme, the way the bouquet is arranged, and the depiction of the glass vase are unmistakable signs of a late work, probably from the 1740s. The predominant dark background and the depiction of flowers, which is no longer an attempt at botanical representation but rather an ornament, a colorful shortcut of dreams and lost hopes. Beauty hinted at in the grayish glow reflected from individual flowers like colored gems. These are typical characteristics of the creation of this period, which reflects not only the loss of many social and political hopes of its time but also painful personal life. The works were probably created as individual pieces and were paired by a collector who perhaps bought them on the open market. This is evidenced by the different material of the backing as well as the different vases used. One of the paintings bears a readable signature "Hirschelli" and the residual dating, perhaps "1741," on the left of the table top highlight. Hirschelli`s rare signatures were often executed with a very thin layer of paint on an already finished painting, and very often they were probably lost in later attempts to clean the paintings. Not only the exceptional preservation but also the presence of a rare signature make both small works significant items of high collector value.