Artwork
Still-life with Wine Glass and Silver Bowl
Still-life with Wine Glass and Silver Bowl is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter Claesz. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents a modest tabletop arrangement of food, drink, and tableware, a hallmark subject of Dutch Golden Age still life.
The painting presents a modest tabletop arrangement of food, drink, and tableware, a hallmark subject of Dutch Golden Age still life. According to the catalogue record, the depicted objects include a rummer (a type of drinking glass), a table covered with a cloth, a plate, a tazza, household silver, a table knife, olives, walnuts, hazelnuts, a cake stand, and a wall as backdrop. The combination of a partially filled rummer with a silver bowl or tazza anchors the composition around themes of nourishment, hospitality, and the material comforts of the seventeenth-century Dutch household.
The inclusion of peeled and cracked nuts, bread or cake, and olives alongside refined silver and glassware reflects the customary iconography of "ontbijt" (breakfast) or "banketje" pieces, in which everyday refreshments are elevated through careful arrangement and the play of light on reflective surfaces. Such imagery invites reflection on transience and sensory pleasure, recurring preoccupations in Pieter Claesz's oeuvre.
Technique & Style
Painted in oil on panel, the work measures 42 by 59 centimeters and is classified as a still life within the Dutch Golden Age tradition. The composition employs a restrained, near-monochromatic handling characteristic of Pieter Claesz's mature style, in which everyday tabletop objects are arranged against a plain wall. The depicted inventory includes a rummer, a tazza, a plate, a tablecloth, a table knife, walnuts, hazelnuts, olives, a cake stand, and household silver, all set on a table.
The modest scale and panel support are typical of the artist's output, and the work is held in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin. No information regarding condition or specific conservation history is provided in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Created in 1635 by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter Claesz, this oil painting on panel depicts a still-life arrangement featuring household silver and a wine glass. Held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, the painting measures 42 by 59 centimeters. While the specific commission details and earlier ownership transfers are not enumerated in the available records, the work is firmly attributed to Claesz and exemplifies his focus on domestic objects such as a tazza and a table knife, alongside food items including walnuts and olives, rendered during the mid-1630s.
Overview
Pieter Claesz's "Still-life with Wine Glass and Silver Bowl," painted in 1635, exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age's focus on domestic scenes and meticulous detail. This oil painting presents a carefully arranged collection of everyday objects, reflecting the era's artistic trends. It is currently part of the collection at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, representing a significant work within Claesz's oeuvre and the broader genre of still-life art.
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Artist & collection
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