Artwork
Still life with fruit, roast, silver- and glassware, porcelain and columbine cup on a dark tablecloth with white serviette
Still life with fruit, roast, silver- and glassware, porcelain and columbine cup on a dark tablecloth with white serviette is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Abraham van Beijeren. It dates from 1660 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents a laid table, identified as its main subject, arranged with fruit, a roast, silver- and glassware, porcelain, and a columbine cup resting on a dark tablecloth beside a white serviette. The depicted objects, fruit, a pitcher, an Akelei-covered beaker, the laid table, and the tablecloth, combine into a classic Dutch still-life arrangement that emphasizes abundance and the display of precious tableware. The inclusion of the columbine cup, a distinctive form of German Renaissance glassware prized by collectors, signals the artist's interest in showcasing rare and luxurious objects alongside everyday fare such as fruit and roast meat.
Technique & Style
The composition depicts a laid table featuring fruit, a pitcher, and a distinctive Akelei-covered beaker alongside other silver and glass vessels.
Created in 1660, this work is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The composition depicts a laid table featuring fruit, a pitcher, and a distinctive Akelei-covered beaker alongside other silver and glass vessels. Stylistically, the piece adheres to the still life genre, characterized by its detailed rendering of luxury objects arranged on a dark tablecloth with a white serviette. The physical dimensions of the canvas measure 110 cm in height and 98 cm in width.
History & Provenance
The painting is dated to 1660 by internal documentation and is held in the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, where it forms part of the museum’s still-life holdings.
It entered the Karlsruhe collection through the 1957 acquisition from the estate of collector Herbert Girardet, whose holdings were dispersed that year. Prior to Girardet, the work’s provenance prior to the mid-twentieth century is not recorded in the museum’s files.
The painting is held in the collection of the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe. While one record also associates the work with the Rijksmuseum, its specific location is identified as the Karlsruhe institution. The artwork was previously owned by Herbert Girardet. No specific inventory numbers or details regarding exhibition history are provided in the available sources.
Context
Abraham van Beijeren’s Still life with fruit, roast, silver- and glassware, porcelain and columbine cup on a dark tablecloth with white serviette (1660) exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age’s luxurious pronkstilleven (sumptuous still life) tradition. Scholars highlight its meticulous rendering of textures, from reflective silver and glass to delicate porcelain, demonstrating van Beijeren’s technical mastery and engagement with material opulence. The work reflects the era’s fascination with global trade, as imported luxuries like Chinese porcelain and Venetian glassware symbolized wealth and cultural exchange.
Critically, the painting has been positioned within van Beijeren’s oeuvre as a transitional piece, bridging earlier monochromatic still lifes and later, more flamboyant compositions. Its inclusion in collections like the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe underscores its significance in the canon of 17th-century Dutch still life, where it is studied for its interplay of light, shadow, and symbolic abundance.
Overview
Abraham van Beijeren's 1660 oil painting, Still life with fruit, roast, silver- and glassware, porcelain and columbine cup on a dark tablecloth with white serviette, exemplifies Dutch Golden Age still life. This work showcases a lavish arrangement of food and luxury items, characteristic of the artist's mature period. It is currently housed in the Rijksmuseum.
Artist & collection
Artist
Abraham Hendriksz van Beijeren or Abraham van Beyeren (c. 1620, The Hague – March 1690, Overschie (Rotterdam)) was a Dutch Baroque painter of still lifes. Little recognized in his day and initially active as a marine…
