Still Life with Roses and Fruit, 17 Century Style Oil on Canvas, dated 1896

G. Evason (British, 19th Century)
Still Life with Roses and Fruit in the manner of the 17th century style, dated 1896.
Oil on canvas, signed and dated lower left
Presented in its a later late-Victorian style gilded gesso frame

This richly composed still life, signed G. Evason and dated 1896, is a fine example of late-Victorian academic painting. The work depicts an abundant arrangement of summer roses in a clear glass vase, surrounded by grapes, peaches, and apples arranged on an elegant footed dish. Although painted in 1896, this work is executed very much in the manner of a 17th-century Dutch still life. The composition, with its carved architectural backdrop and carefully arranged fruit and flowers, closely follows the tradition of the Dutch Golden Age masters. Late-19th-century artists often revived these earlier styles for elegant interiors, and Evason’s painting is a particularly fine example of this “Old Master” revival, combining Victorian craftsmanship with the visual language of the 1600s.

The painting comes with excellent provenance. It was formerly part of the interior art collection of Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Raymond Blanc’s celebrated two-Michelin-star hotel in Oxfordshire, England. A property label (No. 00308) remains on the reverse. The work was later deaccessioned and sold through Bonhams, Home & Interiors, 29 June 2011, Sale 18869, Lot 246. A further label from Michael N. Staniforth, a respected Oxfordshire restorer, confirms prior professional conservation.

The frame is later to the work but of traditional style and displays the ornate gilded gesso typical of the 1890s.

Provenance:
– Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Oxfordshire (inv. no. 00308)
– Bonhams, Oxford, Home & Interiors, 29 June 2011, Sale 18869, Lot 246
– Private collection

Condition:
Good overall; relined, minor craquelure consistent with age; stable surface; frame with expected wear.

Dimensions:
66 cms x 84 cms Framed