Johann Wilhelm Preyer still-life, estimate €8000 at Düsseldorfer Auktionshaus.
His travels often took him to Holland, where he was fascinated by the Old Masters. Dutch still-life painters such as Abraham Mignon and Wilhelm van Aelst had a profound influence on his art. From 1837-43 he lived in Munich and produced numerous extremely precise still-lifes of fruit.
Preyer found willing buyers for his small format paintings, among them the Bavarian king Ludwig I.
In 1844 he returned to Düsseldorf, where he spent the rest of his life, staying true to his artistic concept. Preyer died there in 1889, but his style of painting did not die with him: his daughter Emile followed in his footsteps and produced equally naturalistic depictions of fruit and flowers.
On May 4, Düsseldorfer Auktionshaus is selling a characteristic work by father Preyer. The 7 x 10in (19 x 25cm) monogrammed canvas of grapes and peaches has a guide of €8000. It includes a feature that is to be found on many of Preyer’s paintings: a solitary fly.
