Trompe l'Oeil with a Bust of Venus

Trompe l'Oeil with a Bust of Venus

This is a trompe-l’oeil, or trick of the eye. It is supposed to look as if a marble bust of Venus has been placed above the door. In order to mislead the viewer, some ‘real’ details have been added: a pink shawl and wreaths of periwinkle.
This Venus formed a pair with a bust of Adonis (now in Cape Town). They are the only two still-lifes by the history painter Van Everdingen, and they probably hung in his home
General information
Artist Caesar van Everdingen (1617/1618 - 1678)
Titel Trompe l'Oeil with a Bust of Venus
Dating 1665
Object name painting
Material and technical details
Technique oil
Material canvas
Dimensions height: 74 cm
width: 60.8 cm
Other details
Inscriptions signed and dated: CVE ANo.16.65.
Inventory number 1088
Origin Estate of the painter, Alkmaar, 1678; sale Amsterdam, De Leth, 26 September 1763, lot 50 or 51; sale London, Christie’s, 18 February 1927, lot 131, to Warner; W.S. Traill, Bushmills Antrim, Ireland; sale London, 6 February 1936, lot 115, to Bloch; Vitale Bloch, London, 1936; Mr A. Staring, Vorden, 1939-1980; bequeathed to his widow, Mrs J.H.M. Staring-de Mol van Otterloo, Vorden, 1980; gift of Mrs J.H.M. Staring-de Mol van Otterloo, Vorden, 1992

source
mauritshuis