Born in the Zeeland village of Middelharnis, Jan van Os was first apprenticed to the decorative painter Aert Schouman in The Hague. His early specialisation was in seascapes, but after turning to the depiction of still lifes of flowers and fruit and finding his outstanding ability in this genre so well received, this became the staple of his output. The present composition is in precisely the style that Jan van Huysum had popularised earlier in the century, as can be compared in the latter's Still life of Flowers and Fruit in the J. Paul Getty Museum, for example. The demand for the works of van Huysum in this vein had been fierce prior to that artist's death in 1749 and as a result of van Os's extraordinary talent the younger artist was able to supply the market once more with still lifes of exceptional quality, reigning supreme in this genre during the second half of the eighteenth century. His continual repute and popularity ever since is borne out by the presence of his works in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the National Gallery in London, the Louvre in Paris, the Ashmolean in Oxford and the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge. Provenance: an important private collection, Geneva, in the present family's collection since the 1930s. Oil on canvas, signed J. Van. Os 1772.Dimensions: (canvas) 71cm x 56cm. Old Master painting depicting lavish still life against mythical background, butterflies, mouse devouring grapes, plate holding mackerel. Canvas relined mid century, includes gilt frame.