Johannes Hannot

JOHANNES HANNOT (Leiden, 1633–1684).
“Still Life in a Garden,” possibly 1660–1680.
Oil on canvas.
Provenance: Lambert de Rothschild / Sold to Banque Paribas in 1957.
Cataloged in the book “L’Art. Une sélection de Rubens à Magritte et La Banque,” Banque Paribas, Belgium, ref. 59, Inv. 148, p. 121.
The exhibition took place at the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels from October 24, 1997, to January 4, 1998, and commemorated the 175th anniversary of Banque Paribas in Belgium. It was organized by the Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts and Banque Paribas.
Dimensions: 174 x 205 cm; 207 x 235 cm (frame).

Long attributed to Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606–1683/84), one of the most celebrated still-life painters of the Dutch Golden Age, this extraordinary canvas has been recognized by art historians as a work by Johannes Hannot (Leiden, 1633–1684/85), one of the master’s most refined and rare followers. The close stylistic affinity between the two artists is such that several of Hannot’s paintings were attributed to De Heem for centuries, a fact that attests to the extraordinary quality of his work. His first dated still life, now in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn (1654), was even concealed under an apocryphal signature by De Heem, confirming just how easily Hannot’s hand could be mistaken for that of his illustrious model.

In addition to the work’s high artistic quality, it boasts an exceptionally prestigious provenance: it was part of the collection of Lambert de Rothschild (1847–1912), a member of one of Europe’s most important collecting families. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Rothschilds assembled some of the world’s most celebrated private collections, distinguishing themselves through the extraordinary quality and rigor of their acquisitions. The presence of this painting in Lambert de Rothschild’s collection attests to its historical and artistic significance, while also placing it within one of the most illustrious traditions of European collecting. This provenance not only significantly enhances its appeal to museums and major collectors but also reinforces its relevance within the international market for Dutch Golden Age painting.

Very few works by Johannes Hannot have survived; his oeuvre consists exclusively of fruit still lifes and sumptuous pronkstilleven, or luxury still lifes, making each of his works a piece of special interest to collectors and institutions. A member of the Guild of Saint Luke in Leiden since 1650, he spent his entire career in that city, where—without ever having trained in De Heem’s workshop in Antwerp—he masterfully assimilated De Heem’s pictorial language to develop his own distinctive style. His compositions are distinguished by uniform lighting that delicately shapes the forms, a luminous palette dominated by golden yellows, light greens, and intense reds, as well as by the unmistakable depiction of vine leaves with their undulating and vibrant surfaces—features that clearly identify his hand.

This canvas is undoubtedly one of Johannes Hannot’s most ambitious and significant works. In it, he brings together all the virtues that define his body of work: extraordinary virtuosity in the depiction of textures and material qualities, a refined treatment of light, and a composition of exceptional richness that transcends the traditional still life by integrating it into a sweeping, classically inspired landscape. The abundant arrangement of fruits, shellfish, flowers, carved silver, and porcelain demonstrates an absolute mastery of the genre and an exceptional sensitivity for balancing luxury, harmony, and naturalism. While the influence of Jan Davidsz. de Heem is evident in the chromatic richness and magnificence of the composition, Hannot imbues the scene with a more serene, spacious, and poetic atmosphere, establishing a distinctive artistic language that places this work among the most outstanding examples of still-life painting from the Leiden school in the second half of the 17th century. Its rarity, impeccable pictorial quality, and excellent state of preservation make this canvas an exceptional opportunity on the international market for Dutch Golden Age painting.