Artwork
Still Life with Various Vessels on a Table
Still Life with Various Vessels on a Table is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Osias Beert. It dates from 1610 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
It belongs to the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, part of the Susan and Matthew Weatherbie Collection.
The painting, titled Still Life with Various Vessels on a Table, presents a tabletop arrangement of assorted items that include a cookie, oyster, wine glass, bread, confection, cinnamon, a Chinese ceramic vessel, quince, almond and Ribes. Rendered in oil on canvas in 1610, the work is classified as a still-life painting. It belongs to the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, part of the Susan and Matthew Weatherbie Collection.
The composition brings together diverse foodstuffs and objects, reflecting the material richness and everyday abundance characteristic of early seventeenth-century still-life practice.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1610, this work is an oil painting applied to a canvas support. The composition measures 72.4 cm in height and 108.6 cm in width, presenting a horizontal format typical of the artist's still life arrangements. The surface depicts a dense assembly of objects including Chinese ceramics, glassware, and various foodstuffs such as oysters, bread, and confections.
The medium allows for the detailed rendering of diverse textures, from the translucency of wine glasses to the specific surfaces of cookies and fruit.
History & Provenance
Still Life with Various Vessels on a Table was executed by Osias Beert in 1610. The painting entered the collection of Susan and Matthew Weatherbie, who later donated the piece to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it remains part of the permanent holdings. The work is executed in oil on canvas and measures 72.4 cm in height by 108.6 cm in width. No earlier ownership prior to the Weatherbie collection is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Osias Beert's "Still Life with Various Vessels on a Table," created around 1610, is an oil painting that exemplifies the emerging still life genre in Northern Europe. This Flemish artist depicted a rich array of objects, blending exotic Chinese ceramics with common foodstuffs like currants, almonds, and bread. The work is now part of the collection at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
Context
Osias Beert, active in Antwerp during the early 17th century, played a significant role in establishing still life as a distinct artistic category in Northern Europe. This painting is characteristic of the Dutch Golden Age, a period that saw a surge in detailed tabletop compositions. These works frequently showcased both opulent imported goods and familiar household items, reflecting the era's economic prosperity and fascination with the material world.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Osias Beert or Osias Beert the Elder (c. 1580 – 1623) was a Flemish painter active in Antwerp who played an important role in the early development of flower and "breakfast"-type still lifes as independent genres in…
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