Still Life with Fish

About this work

You see a table covered with fish—cod, flounder, a slice of salmon—plus mussels, a knife, a wooden bucket, and a brown clay jug. This painting was probably made to show off the artist’s skill with textures: the wet shine of scales, the rough weave of the basket, the dull clay of the jug. It’s a quiet snapshot of a Dutch market day, not fancy, just real. If you like this kind of everyday scene, look up the Rijksmuseum’s other still lifes.