Alexander COOSEMANS (Antwerp 1627 - 1689) Composition with fruit basket, lobster and large Delft earthenware pitcher Canvas 56 x 81 cm Signed lower left 'A. Coosemans'. Provenance : Private collection, Belgium; De Jonckheere, Paris, spring 1993 ; Private collection, Paris ; Anonymous sale, Paris, Artcurial, June 19, 2012, no. 11. Here, Alexander Coosemans has created a balanced, brightly colored composition that recalls his stay in Rome between 1649 and 1651. A pupil of Jan Davidsz de Heem, his still lifes combine the opulence of pronkstilleven with attention to texture and lighting effects. The bright red lobster can be interpreted as a symbol of Christ's Resurrection. The lobster molts twice a year as an adult, beginning a new stage in its life. The animal is associated with grapes and a loaf of bread, evoking the Last Supper and the Passion of Christ. In the center, a lemon with a half-peeled rind reinforces the artist's discourse on transformation and the cycle of life. This was a favorite subject of the painter's, and can be seen in the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts (Canvas 50.6 x 66.5 cm, circa 1660, inv. 51.2978).