Strauss & co - 13 November 2017, Johannesburg

289 349 Irma Stern SOUTH AFRICAN 1894–1966 Still Life with Fruit, Urn and Pot signed and dated 1948; inscribed with the artist’s name, address and the title on the reverse oil on canvas 83 by 60 cm R2 000 000 – 3 000 000 The central composition of this still life features a representation of a tile depicting The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. It is now set into the wall at the visitor’s entrance of her former home, The Firs in Rosebank in Cape Town, which today houses the Irma Stern Museum. Before being fixed into the wall, the painted and glazed earthenware tile, executed in the 17th century style, was a free object in her studio and was most likely collected on a trip to Italy. Stern had an interest in early Christian art which is reflected in a number of her paintings which draw inspiration from familiar themes. Coupled with a copper coffee pot and a rich bowl of apples and pears, the painting reflects a deeper meditation on the theme of the tile where the ill-fated couple, now shamed by their nudity, are expelled from the orchards of the Garden of Eden. © Irma SternTrust | DALRO