Abraham Brueghel

This magnificent painting is a contemporary copy after an original by Abraham Brueghel in the collection of Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden. We meet a young woman in front of a table dazzling with fruits and flowers. Brueghel is mostly remembered for his still life paintings, mainly those with fruits and flowers and the composition with a young woman on the left edge is characteristic.
The painting was purchased by Carl Robert Lamm from the building contractor And. Andersson in 1914 to enrich the staircase of Näsby Castle. The castle was ravaged by a heavy fire in 1897 before it was bought by Lamm in 1902. Between 1902-1905 the castle was renovated under the influence of Nicodemus Tessin the elders preserved original drawings. The exterior was rebuilt, a modern residence was created inside and a gallery was added to accommodate the family's great art collection. The collection included everything from sculpture and paintings by famous artists to precious objects, furniture, silver, ceramics, tapestry’s, weapons, oriental rugs and bronzes. Carl Robert was an internationally renowned art collector and he and his wife Dora turned Näsby Castle into a magnificent private residence. They often invited prominent guests and the Swedish art elite for great parties. Bruno Liljefors, Anders Zorn and Carl Milles have all executed works of art in the castle.
In 1923 one third of Lamm's art collection was transported to New York for a three-day auction in order to save the family's financial situation. On the back of the painting there is a label from the Teschner Art Galleries in New York, who were responsible for the auction as well as American Express who made the transportation. However, this painting was not sold and it has remained in the family collections since.

The original in Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, "Girl with Grapes and Still Life with Fruit", NM 374.