Antique Still Life with fruits and parrot, circle of Tobias Stranover (Stranovius) 1684-1756. In the style of the great Dutch Old Masters, it depicts fruits on a ledge with a red chested bird sitting on a branch against a dark ground. The work is an oil on canvas laid on panel, presented in a heavy 19th-Century decorative giltwood and gesso frame. Stranover (Czech/British) was born in Hermannstadt, Romania, but traveled to Germany, the Netherlands, and England, where he remained. He died in London in 1756. He was registered in Hamburg, Hermannstadt, Amsterdam, and London. He became a follower of the bird painter Melchior d'Hondecoeter and presumably also Jakob Bogdány, whose daughter Elisabeth he married. Art has long been regarded as a strong and safe investment. Ellen Kelleher, a personal finance reporter for The Financial Times wrote an article recommending art, particularly in the $500 - $50,000 range as a sound long term investment with an impressive current average annual yield of 9.7%. See ‘Hang Your Investments on the Wall’ in the Financial Times published in October, 2010.