Jacob Marrel (Frankenthal 1614-1681 Francfort-sur-le-Main) Nature morte avec un panier...

Jacob Marrel (Frankenthal 1614-1681 Francfort-sur-le-Main)
Nature morte avec un panier de fruits, des coquillages et un lézard

Jacob Marrel (Frankenthal 1614-1681 Frankfurt-am-Main)
Still life with a basket of fruit, sea shells and a lizard
signed with monogram 'JM* f' (lower right, possibly strengthened)
oil on panel
74 x 49cm (29 1/8 x 19 5/16in).
Provenance:
With Julius Böhler, Munich, 1981, where purchased by the present owner

Jacob Marel was apprenticed to the Frankfurt still life artist Georg Flegel until he moved to Utrecht in the early 1630s and trained under Jan Davidsz. de Heem. Here he also came under the influence of the Bosschaert family and Roelandt Savery, all of whom were active in Utrecht at that time. The basket, shells and fruit in the present work are clearly inspired by Balthazar van der Ast's still life, from circa 1635, now in Vancouver Art Gallery, Canada (inv.no. 83.27), which may have been painted before the artist left for Delft.
Marrel moved to Frankfurt in 1650 and tutored Abraham Mignon, for whom he later arranged training in Utrecht with de Heem. He continued to travel between Utrecht and Frankfurt throughout his life, forming an important link between two early centres of interest in flower painting.