We would like to thank Dr. Fred G. Meijer for his kind assistance in cataloguing this lot.

The present painting, which stands out for its high executive quality and for its excellent conservation conditions, is inspired by the autograph model by Adriaen Van Utrecht depicting the same scene conserved at the Musée de Picardie in Amiens (inv. M.P.Lav.1894-115). The subject derives from the Gospel of Luke, in which it is narrated how Christ, having arrived in the village of Bethany, is welcomed into the house by Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus: while Martha is dedicated to cooking a rich meal, Mary remains seated to listen to the teachings of Jesus, unleashing his sister's anger. Jesus therefore intervenes, indicating to Martha how Mary is actually doing the best thing, listening to him, rather than dealing with earthly matters. Here the evangelical scene is functional to the representation of an extraordinary "pronkstilleven", a still life rich in game, vegetables, flowers and fruit, a typology that the master of Van Utrecht, Frans Snyders, had already invented and addressed several times, often including characters. It was therefore not uncommon for two artists to work together on the same painting, one focusing on the natural elements and the other on the figures. In the Amiens work, it seems that Van Utrecht collaborated in this sense with Simon de Vos, a painter specialized in characters and husband of the artist's sister. This painting is inspired in detai tol the work preserved in France and, in consideration of its quality, could suggest that it was potentially made within the circle of Adriaen Van Utrecht and his workshop.
The painting is completed by a large frame in carved, parcel gilt and polychrome wood, probably from the first half of the 19th century, with molding richly decorated by a module of carved and gilded acanthus leaves seamlessly with an external profile decorated by a series of spheres.