Maximilian Pfeiler (active from1683-c.1721)

THIS PAINTING WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT BRAFA 2025

Maximilian Pfeiler (active from 1683-c.1721)

Still life of flowers and fruits

 Oil on canvas, 98 x 73 cm 

The life of Maximilian Pfeiler is not well documented and there are few historical references about his activity. The few existing sources indicate that in 1683 he was a member of the Guild of Painters of Prague, his hometown, and a pupil of Christian Berentz (1658-1722), a painter of German origin who first travelled to the Netherlands and then settled in Rome, introducing in Italy northern European themes of the kind of still life in which he specialized. 

It is not clear whether Pfeiler’s pupil at Berentz is already in Rome, where the Czech artist has certainly been active since 1694, collaborating with Francesco Trevisani and Michele Rocca. Pfeiler thus manages to carve out a leading role in the Roman artistic scene of the late seventeenth - early eighteenth century, creating extravagant and recognizable compositions of fruits and flowers much appreciated by illustrious men: For example, some of his works were part of the collection of Cardinal Fesch. 

The painting in question is an example of the quality of Pfeiler’s typical production and shows the debts towards his master Berentz as well as the other foreign artists established in Rome specialized in still life. 

As in the compositions of Tamm or Vogelaer, the background to the flowers and fruits is an architectural fragment, already introducing that taste towards the ancient ruins that will be fully consolidated in the eighteenth century.

 The various types of fruits are arranged in overlapping groups that wrap themselves around each other following diagonal trends. From below we see a bunch of white grapes together with peaches, plums and half watermelon. In a slightly more backward position is an inverted wicker basket in which there are some chestnuts still in their curl and partially covered by large green leaves mottled with orange. Flowers with lilac petals, the same that wrap around the base of the column in the background, cut the canvas in two parts. A wooden plane drops diagonally above them from which some pears fall while cherries fall from an inverted backsplash. 

Each element is described with extreme technical skill and attention to detail: in this sense, observe the particular dew that lays on plums or grapes, the pulp of the watermelon dug and which fades from the green of the skin to the more intense red in the more central parts of the fruit, or the truth with which the leaves curl up on themselves. 

It should also be noted that the various fruits depicted do not belong to the same seasonality, which suggests that the artist has made some of them without a model from life, but painting them by heart, obtaining a general effect of great naturalism. Worthy of note is also the ability of the Czech artist in terms of color combinations: the red accents of cherries and watermelon are enhanced by the complementary green predominant in the leaves and pears. To the violet of the flowers and plums responds the yellow of peaches and grapes. These combinations expand the effect of three-dimensionality already given by the chiaroscuro contrasts that wisely balance the most striking colors. 

Pfeiler in the work analyzed, as well as in other compositions such as still life in the Genoese private collection, shows the debts towards his master Berentz. This can be seen in the great variety of fruits and flowers described and especially in their filling almost completely the available space. 

The latest news of Maximilian Pfeiler are attested to 1721. He spent most of his life in Rome, enjoying some success and appreciation from contemporaries, both artists and collectors.

With Ars Antiqua you can defer all amounts up to a maximum of € 7,500 at ZERO RATE, for a total of 15 INSTALLMENTS.

Ex. Tot. € 4,500 = Monthly installment € 300 for 15 months.

Ex. Tot. € 3,600 = Monthly installment € 720 for 5 months.

For amounts over €7,500 or for a longer grace period (over 15 installments), we can provide a custom payment.

Contact us directly to get the best quote.

LIVE TV

- SUNDAY 17.00 - 21.00 Dig.terr. 126 + 809 SKY

- THURSDAY 21.00 - 23.00 Dig.terr. 134 + 809 SKY

- Streaming on our website www.arsantiquasrl.com and on our social networks Facebook and Youtube

All the works proposed by Ars Antiqua are sold accompanied by a certificate of authenticity in accordance with the law and accurate fact sheet.

You can see the works directly at the showroom gallery in Milan, in via Pisacane 55 and 57.

We personally organize transport and deliveries of the works, both for Italy and abroad.