Provenance: 

Estate of the artist; 

Frankfurter Kunstkabinett Hanna Bekker vom Rath (1947); 

Galerie Alex Vömel, Düsseldorf (1958);

probably private collection, Locarno, Switzerland (1959?); 

Crane Kalman Gallery, London; 

O'Hana Gallery, London; 

Sotheby's London, December 6, 1961, Lot 185; 

Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett, Roman Norbert Ketterer, 37. Auktion 1962, Lot 172; 

Exhibitions:

possibly Mir Isskutzva (World of Art) in St. Petersburg, 1906; 

possibly 3. Exhibition of the Union of Russian Artist at the Stroganov-Academy, April 1906;

possibly Exposition d'Art Russe at Salon d'Automne, Paris 1906;

possibly Exhibition at Menschikow-Palace, Moscow, 1909;

possibly 1. Salon International di Odessa, Odessa, 1910;

probably Alexej Jawlensky, Kunstverein Erfurt, Leipzig, Weimar und Jena, 1922;

Gedächtnisausstellung Alexej von Jawlensky, Katalog des Frankfurter Kunstkabinett zum 10-Jährigen Jubiläum, Hanna Bekker von Rath, Frankfurt, 1957;
Alexej Jawlensky, Kunstverein, Frankfurt/Kunstverein Hamburg 1967, cat. no. 111;
Horizont Jawlensky – Alexej von Jawlensky im Spiegel seiner künstlerischen Begegnungen 1900-1924, Museum Wiesbaden 2014, cat. no. 42, illustrated in color p. 145.

Literature: 

Schenk, Rolf/Franke-Schenk, Catherine (Hrsg.), Hundert Jahre mit der Kunst: 1913 bis 2013, München 2013, Bd. II, Kat.-Nr. 11, mit ganzs. farb. Abb. S. 89.

Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky & Angelica Jawlensky, Alexej von Jawlensky. Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, vol. I, 1890-1914, London, 1991, no.  154, p. 139(illustrated in color)

Weiler 709

French painting of the late 19th century, namely that of Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne, was a revelation for non-French painters such as Alexej von Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin or Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter. Jawlensky’s visit to the Fauves exhibition in Paris in 1905 gave him certainty that he would join the French post-Impressionism, the so-called Pointillism of Georges Seurat and Paul Signac on a trial basis, and that he would study the painting style of the "Fauves" (the Wild Ones), further developed by Henri Matisse, André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck, and thus create his typical expressionist-fauvist palette. And Jawlensky also encouraged Kandinsky and Münter to break away from the traditional classification of form and colour in painting, in order to free themselves from an academic approach and teaching and to devote themselves to painting in colours without constraint.

Back from France in Munich and Wasserburg am Inn, Jawlensky worked in memory of the fathers of modernism, such as this still life with napkin, playing with Cézanne. The sometimes sober, cézannesque representation of bowl and fruit shows in a special way Jawlensky's internalized handling of this classical subject. But in contrast to the mostly strict models of a Cézanne, Jawlensky models and integrates the atmosphere in a wonderful way, allowing subdued evening light to flow over the table at sunset, it seems, and the arrangement of pears and apples seems to be blurred in such a reduced light. The strong orange in contrast to the green and yellow in front of subdued blue tones shows how naturally Jawlensky is able to deal with the pictorial themes of his time.

Notes

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- St. Petersburg 1906 (?)

According to the data in Ketterer's auction catalogue from 1962, the painting was probably exhibited at the World of Art 1906 exhibition in St. Petersburg.  The exhibition showed six still lifes and three landscapes, more details about the individual works are missing. Immediately afterwards Jawlensky's works were shown again at the Third Exhibition of the Association of Russian Artists, which was opened on April 3, 1906 in the Stroganov School. It featured five still lifes and four landscapes, which are also not described in detail. 

According to the Diaghilev specialist John W. Bowlt, "The World of Art": Sergei Diaghilev and his circle, the presentation of Mir Isskutzva (World of Art) in St. Petersburg in 1906 was not primarily an exhibition, but a literary presentation of the members of this magazine. 

Tayfun Beigin, Alexei v. Jawlensky. An artist's biography tells that Diaghilev wanted to make the exhibition in St. Petersburg in 1905/1906, but did not.  In 1905 and 1906 Diaghilev arranged the Exposition d'Art Russe at the Salon d'Automne in Paris, where Jawlensky participated in 1905 with six still lifes from the years 1902 to 1904 and showed ten landscape views from Brittany in 1906. 

- Odessa 1910 (?)

In 1909 Sergei Makowski, Diaghilev's successor to Mir Isskutzva and founder of Apollo, arranged the 1st Salon International di Odessa, a comprehensive exhibition of modern Russian art at the Moscow Mensikov Palace. Among others he showed the Neue Künstlervereinigung München (NKVM) founded in 1909 with Vasily Kandinsky, Alexei von Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin. Detailed information on the pictures shown is not available. The presentation in Odessa was repeated in 1910. 

- Travelling exhibition through the art associations in Erfurt, Leipzig, Weimar and Jena 1922

The travelling exhibition of works by Alexei of Jawlensky was organized and arranged by Emmy Galka Scheyer, a friend of Alexei of Jawlensky. According to Emmy Galka Scheyer only works from 1909 - 1921 were shown. 

- Frankfurt Art Association 1967

The catalogue for the exhibition Alexej von Jawlensky at the Frankfurter Kunstverein from 16.09. to 22.10.1967 lists the painting Still Life with Napkin on p. 65/No. 111 with an illustration on p. 111. It is listed as private property by the Galerie Alex Vömel in Düsseldorf.

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- Bekker of the Council 1947 

In her newly opened Frankfurt Art Cabinet, Hanna Bekker vom Rath organized a memorial exhibition for her long-time friend Alexej von Jawlensky, who had died in the middle of the war in nearby Wiesbaden in 1941, as the third sales exhibition (see Fig. 3) from August 16 to September 14, 1947. An accompanying leaflet with an accompanying text by Dr. Wilhelm Moufang, composed of letters and conversations with the artist, is listed in the list of exhibits under No. 11: Alexej von Jawlensky, Still Life with Napkin, 1906 (see Figures 1 and 2).

The close friendship between Alexej von Jawlensky and Hanna Bekker vom Rath existed since 1927. Hanna Bekker vom Rath, who was herself a painter, supported Jawlensky, who was tied to his bed and always lived in financial difficulties. She also collected the artist's works. Jawlensky thanked her for her support with some of her works. The friendship is documented as follows:

1st focus, 30 new acquisitions from the Hanna Bekker von Rath Collection, Museum Wiesbaden, 19.3. to 18.9.1988:

"In 1927 Hanna Bekker von Rath met Alexej von Jawlensky in Wiesbaden. She had already met his works before and appreciated them, but now she met the artist and the people, learned of his plight. She realized that she could combine her desire to own Jawlensky's works with her desire to support him, and in 1929 she founded the "Association of Friends of Art Alexei Jawlensky's"... It was stated in the statutes: "Each member's right [corresponding to a monthly fee of 20 marks] shall be entitled to the surrender of a picture of Mr. von Jawlensky within four years". (S. 14/15]

"Hanna Bekker visited Jawlensky every week in Wiesbaden, sometimes she brought him to Hofheim. There, a growing circle of artists came together in the Blue House: 0. W. Roederstein, Ida Kerkovius, Alexej von Jawlensky, later Emy Roeder and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff joined them." (S. 19]

2nd private property Hofheim. Collection Hanna Bekker of the Rath. Exhibition in cooperation with the galleries Frankfurter Kunstkabinett Hanna Bekker vom Rath GmbH and Herbert Meyer-Ellinger. Jahrhunderthalle Hoechst 14.10. to 21.11.1984