Paul Cézanne, “Still life with Apples, a Napkin and a Milk Can”

The work of young Cézanne was strongly influenced by the Impressionist painters, especially Pissarro. In his mature period, the artist distanced himself from Impressionism and developed his very characteristic synthetic style. An excellent example of this is the still life with apples and a milk jug, created in the years 1880-1881. The shapes of objects were simplified, details and lighting effects became less important, and construction gradually replaced impressions. The canvas, which later ended up in Silberberg’s hands, was purchased by the famous Parisian dealer Ambroise Vollard, a great admirer of Cézanne’s work.

The owners of the painting were the Parisian gallery Durand-Ruel, and then the artwork entered the Vienna collection of Mauthner-Markhof. It returned to Paris from Vienna and ended up in the possession of Paul Rosenberg, from where it was acquired by the branch of the Thannhauser gallery in Lucerne (later Galerie Rosengart). In 1925, the canvas was purchased by Max Silberberg. In 1932, Georges Petit in Paris, in collaboration with Paul Cassirer, organized an auction of German collections (anonymously referred to as “S… et S…”), where Cézanne’s painting was exhibited. It did not find a buyer at that time and remained in Silberberg’s possession until 1934. Then it returned to the collection of the Parisian dealer Ambroise Vollard, and from him, another well-known collector, Georges Bernheim, acquired it. Later, the painting belonged to Hugo Moser, and soon after, to Silberberg’s friend, Paul Cassirer. The last private owner of the painting was the French collector Jean Walter. His wife sold it to the Louvre in 1959, and in 1977, it was transferred to the Musée de l’Orangerie, where it can be admired to this day.

Painting Information:

oil on canvas, dimensions: 60 x 73 cm, Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris.

Literature: Monika Tatzkow, Max Silberberg (1878-1945) Breslau [w:] Melissa Müller, Monika Tatzkow, Verlorene Bilder, verlorene Leben Jüdische Sammler und was aus ihren Kunstwerken wurde, München 2008, s. 125.