Still Life with Roemer Glass and Grapes
Painting on canvas • Lloyd Harting (signed lower right)
Style & Movement
Contemporary Realism / Neo-Dutch Baroque Revival
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas, employing glazing, chiaroscuro, and fine wet-on-wet brushwork for realistic textures
Creation Period
Late 20th Century (circa 1970-1990)
Dimensions & Format
Approximately 16 x 20 inches; Portrait format
Subject Description
A classic 'pronkstilleven' (ostentatious still life) composition featuring a Berber / Roemer wine glass entwined with a grape vine. Green grapes rest on a richly textured red brocade cloth. The glass reflects a window motif, symbolizing domesticity and worldliness. The dark, atmospheric background emphasizes the play of light on the translucent fruit and glass surface.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Very Good; the canvas is stable with no visible losses, though some surface grime and minor yellowing of the varnish may be present.
Estimated Market Value
$400 - $800 USD
Auction Estimate
$300 - $500 USD
Provenance History
Likely acquired from a commercial art gallery or estate sale in North America; signature indicates a professional illustrator/painter active in the mid-to-late 20th century.
Art Historical Significance
A fine example of 20th-century American painters reviving 17th-century Dutch still-life traditions. Harting was a known commercial illustrator (notably for Disney and Western art) who used these fine art studies to demonstrate technical mastery over light and texture.
Notable Features
Distinctive 'window' reflections in the glass bowl, a hallmark of traditional Dutch still life; the artist's signature 'Lloyd Harting' in the lower right corner; an ornate 'Louis XIV' style gilded composite frame.
Condition Issues
Minor sagging of the canvas; faint stretcher bar marks; slight yellowing of the protective varnish layer; light dust accumulation on the frame's ornate moldings.
Conservation Recommendations
Surface cleaning by a professional to remove dust/nicotine; light tensioning of the canvas; display in a temperature-controlled environment away from direct UV sunlight.