(active in France, mid 17th century)
A still life of fish and other kitchen utensils on a ledge,
oil on canvas, 86.4 x 72.4 cm, framed

The attribution was first suggested by Ingvar Bergstrom in a written communication, dated 15th October 1985 (available on request). For comparison, Bergstrom points to a painting signed with monogram F H and offered at Christie’s, London on 11th December 1981 as lot 116.

The present lot is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, dated 16th August 1988, from Sam Segal. For comparison, he refers to a similar composition of a still life of fish with initials F H on the wooden tub in the collection P. Griebert, Munich (see: M. Faré, Le Grand Siècle de la Nature Morte en France, le XVIIe Siècle, Fribourg, 1974, p. 272).

The present still life painting is a rare work by François Habert, who was active in France in the mid-17th century. Despite the lack of biographical information, there are a number of signed works by Habert, some of which are dated, which allow us to reconstruct his oeuvre (see: M. Faré, op. cit., pp. 271–277). This group includes three signed still lifes with fish; the aforementioned picture in Munich, a still life with fish and playing cards, dated 1649, and a still life with fish, fruit and flowers (both private collection, Paris). The works by Sebastian Stosskopf, which Habert must have known, bear a strong resemblance to these fish still lifes.