Artwork
Still life with fish, oysters and shrimps
Still life with fish, oysters and shrimps is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Clara Peeters. It dates from 1600 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a classic still life arrangement featuring fish, oysters, and shrimps or prawns presented as food items.
The work depicts a classic still life arrangement featuring fish, oysters, and shrimps or prawns presented as food items. A flower is also included within the composition alongside the seafood. As a genre painting from the early 17th century, the subject matter focuses on the realistic representation of these edible elements, characteristic of the artist's specialization in still-life scenes. The arrangement highlights the textures and forms of the marine life and the accompanying floral element.
Technique & Style
Created in 1600 in Antwerp, this still life by Clara Peeters is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel. The work measures 25 cm in height and 34.8 cm in width. Stylistically, the painting belongs to the still life genre, featuring a detailed arrangement of marine life and flora.
The composition specifically depicts fish, oysters, shrimp, and prawns presented as food items, accompanied by flowers. These elements are rendered with the precision characteristic of early seventeenth-century Netherlandish painting, focusing on the textures and forms of the depicted objects.
History & Provenance
Clara Peeters painted Still life with fish, oysters and shrimps in Antwerp in 1600, working in oil on panel. The work later belonged to the Dutch dealer Jacques Goudstikker, who assembled a notable group of Dutch and Flemish paintings, before entering the Rijksmuseum. No documentation indicates a specific commission for the piece; its creation is documented only through the artist's activity in the early 17th‑century Antwerp workshop.
The painting measures 25 cm by 34.8 cm and depicts fish, shrimp and prawn alongside an oyster and a flower, reflecting the still‑life genre popular at the time.
Context
Clara Peeters's Still life with fish, oysters and shrimps (1600) exemplifies the banquet subgenre of early Baroque Flemish still‑life painting. The oil on panel, measuring 25 × 34.8 cm, was created in Antwerp and later entered the Rijksmuseum as part of the Jacques Goudstikker collection. Its meticulous rendering of marine food items reflects the period's fascination with abundance and sensory detail, positioning the work within Peeters's broader oeuvre of banquet scenes that often featured elaborate tablescapes.
Scholarship highlights the painting as a key example of female participation in a male‑dominated market and as an early precursor to later Dutch still‑life developments.
Overview
Clara Peeters, a Flemish artist active during the Dutch Golden Age, created Still life with fish, oysters and shrimps around 1600. This oil painting exemplifies her specialization in still-life subjects, particularly arrangements of food and drink. The work presents a meticulously composed display of various seafood items, including a prominent fish, alongside oysters, shrimp, and a single vibrant flower. It is currently housed in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Clara Peeters (Dutch pronunciation: ; fl. 1607–1676) was a Flemish still-life painter from Antwerp who worked in both the Spanish Netherlands and Dutch Republic. Peeters is the best-known female Flemish artist of this…
