Artwork
Still life with pottery, herring and pancakes, a print of an owl on the wall
Still life with pottery, herring and pancakes, a print of an owl on the wall is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Hieronymous Francken II. It dates from 1607 and is held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The juxtaposition of humble fare with the proverb-laden print transforms a genre scene into a quiet commentary on perception and folly.
The composition arranges everyday domestic objects on a tabletop, including a jug, cheese, a pancake, and a knife, set against a wall hung with a printed image of an owl. The owl print is identified as "What use are candles or glasses, if the owl does not want to see," a Flemish proverb that uses the owl as a symbol of willful ignorance or refusal to perceive the truth, even when illumination is offered. By pairing this emblem with ordinary foodstuffs and tableware, the painting layers a moralizing message onto a conventional kitchen still life, suggesting that material abundance and clear sight are wasted on those who choose not to see.
The juxtaposition of humble fare with the proverb-laden print transforms a genre scene into a quiet commentary on perception and folly.
Technique & Style
Created in 1607, this work is an oil painting executed on a wooden panel support. The artist, Hieronymus Francken II, applied oil paint to create a still life composition measuring 25 cm in height and 35 cm in width. The formal subject matter depicts a domestic arrangement featuring a jug, cheese, a pancake, a knife, and a print of an owl mounted on the wall.
The inclusion of the owl print serves as a visual pun within the genre, referencing the proverbial text regarding candles and glasses that appears in the depiction.
History & Provenance
The painting is dated 1607 on its internal record and aligns with a Wikidata entry for a work by Hieronymus Francken II in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, where it is currently located.
Its dimensions are recorded as 25 cm in height and 35 cm in width, and the medium is specified as oil on panel.
The painting is held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. Its accession number is not specified in the sources. It was created in 1607 and has been exhibited in the museum's galleries, reflecting its ongoing presence in the institution's display.
Legacy
The painting’s composition of humble kitchenware alongside a symbolic owl print has been cited as an early example of still-life symbolism that prefigured later Dutch genre scenes. Its inclusion in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp’s collection has kept scholarly attention on Francken’s role in the evolution of the genre, influencing studies of 17th‑century visual allegory.
Overview
Created in 1607 by the Antwerp-based painter Hieronymus Francken II, this oil work belongs to the early‑17th‑century Flemish still‑life tradition. The composition presents a modest tabletop laden with food and household items, set against a darkened backdrop that emphasizes the materiality of each object.
Context
During the Dutch Golden Age, Flemish artists expanded the still‑life genre to include everyday pantry items, reflecting both market prosperity and a growing interest in the visual study of material culture. Francken’s work exemplifies this shift, presenting ordinary fare with a careful, almost scientific observation.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Hieronymus Francken the Younger or Hieronymus II (Antwerp, 1578 – Antwerp, 1623) was a Flemish painter and one of the most prominent members of the large Francken family of artists.
