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Isaac Soreau (German, 1604-1644)
Bouquet of flowers in a gla…
See original version (French)
206
-
Isaac Soreau (German, 1604-1644)
Bouquet of flowers in a gla…
See original version (French)
Estimate €200,000 - €300,000
Voluntary lot
Please note that this lot is subject to restrictions.
If you would like to bid on this lot, we invite you to contact the office by email at [email protected]Description
Isaac Soreau (German, 1604-1644)
Bouquet of flowers in a glass vase
Oil on copper.
Height 52.5 Width 40 cm.
(restoration)
Gilded wood frame.
Provenance: collection of the Marquis René de Chabrillan (1886-1938), Château de Neuville-sur-Oise; by family descent.
Soreau. Bouquet of flowers in a glass vase. Oil on copper.
Art Loss Register, 27 January 2026, no. S00266980.
Very high definition digitisation and secure digital passport in the blockchain by Nüme available on request from rouillac.com
Isaac belongs to a family of artists. He was the son of Daniel Soreau, a wealthy wool merchant who controlled the trade in Hesse and Wetterau, before turning to painting late in life. A Protestant, he had left Tournai to settle in Frankfurt, where many still-life painters were working, around Georg Flegel and Pieter Binoit (who married Sarah Soreau in 1632). Although no reliable works by Daniel have come down to us, we can assume that he trained his son alongside Sébastien Stoskopff, who took over Daniel's studio after his death in 1619. Isaac's compositions also bear witness to the influence of the Antwerp painters Jacob van Hulsdonck and Osias Beert I: some have even suggested that he frequented the former's studio.
Flower still lifes became independent in Flanders and the Netherlands shortly after 1600, particularly in Antwerp and Middelbourg with painters such as Roelandt Savery, Jan Brueghel the Elder and the Bosschaert dynasty. This genre developed against a backdrop of economic prosperity, booming international trade, and a passion for botany and exotic gardens initiated in Prague around Emperor Rudolph II. The bouquet is the image of paradise on earth, where all the human senses are stimulated. Flowers also embody the fleeting nature of life and the ephemeral pleasures of the Scriptures. Each species of plant thus plays a specific role in this form of contemplation, of meditation on death, resurrection and sin in a great celebration of Nature, in the sense that these paintings are also designed for the aesthetic pleasure they bring to their owner.
As with the other still lifes from this period, these bouquets are a mixture of flowers from different seasons, impossible to bring together at a single moment, and made from studies of individual flowers.
Careful observation of the world and faithfulness to detail allow for a naturalism in which each element takes on a religious value. Flowers are only beautiful for a few moments. They wither and die quickly. Emerging from a dense and skilfully balanced composition, the tulips were the object of real speculation and their bulbs reached exorbitant prices. Brought to Europe from Constantinople in the 16th century, tulips testified to the vanity and frivolity of human behaviour in a critique of tulipomania, the financial bubble of which collapsed in 1637. The sprigs of lily of the valley, with their delicate fragrance and devotional movement, represent Mary's humility. The buds only bloom in May, recalling the cycle of the seasons, while the forget-me-not, the flower of paradise, recalls the salvation of the soul that remains faithful to God. The guinea fritillary evokes mystery and rebirth. Columbine, one of Mary's seven flowers, evokes the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The ensemble is arranged in a "Römer" glass, set against a neutral, slightly brown-green background. Several insects enliven the ensemble. The butterfly, the ephemeral animal par excellence, and a dragonfly on the right, refer to the fragility of our existence. The beetle, a funereal symbol, and the fly, often depicted in 17th-century Flemish vanitas, are vanities, reminding us of our mortal condition.
An author of still lifes with baskets of fruit, Soreau exceptionally painted a few bouquets. Among them, ours is one of the largest and most complex. We can compare it with those sold in London (Sotheby's, 07/12/1999, lot no. 18) and New York (Sotheby's, 29/01/2009, lot no. 42), which are smaller in size. A repeat of our composition, on panel, was sold at Munich, Hampel, on 27 March 2025, lot no. 216 and on 26 June 2025, lot no. 213.
We would like to thank Fred Meijer for confirming the authenticity of our painting to Isaac Soreau, using digital photography, by e-mail on 11 October 2021.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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