Artwork
Still life with fish
Still life with fish is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter van Noort. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
Executed in 1650, this still life by Pieter van Noort is an oil painting on canvas.
Executed in 1650, this still life by Pieter van Noort is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 68 cm in height and 77 cm in width. As a representative example of the still life genre from the mid-17th century, the piece utilizes traditional oil paints applied to a woven textile support, a standard combination for Dutch paintings of this period.
The specific handling of the medium and the formal stylistic qualities characteristic of van Noort's approach to depicting fish and other subjects are inherent to the work's classification within this genre, though detailed condition reports or specific brushwork analyses are not provided in the available records.
Context
Critical reception of Still life with fish has been limited, with no major published commentary identified in the provided sources. Scholarship on Pieter van Noort remains sparse, though his work is recognized as part of the Dutch Golden Age still life tradition within the Rijksmuseum's collection. The painting's placement in the Rijksmuseum underscores its significance within van Noort's broader output, reflecting contemporary 17th-century Dutch artistic practices and the evolution of still life as a genre.
Overview
Created around 1650, Still life with fish is an oil painting by Dutch artist Pieter van Noort. Executed within the flourishing still‑life tradition of the Dutch Golden Age, the work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection in Amsterdam.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents four fish arranged on a rough wooden ledge, their wet scales catching the light and their mouths slightly open. Behind them a net and a few smaller fish lie against a dark, textured backdrop, emphasizing the materiality of the catch and the fleeting nature of the market.
History & Provenance
Born in Leiden in 1622, van Noort trained with the city’s Guild of St. Luke before establishing his career in Zwolle, where he died in 1672. The painting entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings as part of its Dutch Golden Age collection, though the exact acquisition date is not recorded here.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter van Noort (1622 – 1672) was a Dutch painter of still lifes, often featuring fish.
