Artwork
A Banquet-piece
A Banquet-piece is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Willem Claesz Heda. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland. Willem Claesz.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a representative of the genre, the work presents these objects in a realistic manner, focusing on the textures and materials of the depicted items.
Painted in 1635, Willem Claesz Heda's A Banquet-piece is a still life that depicts a specific arrangement of food and tableware. The composition features ham, bread, a knife, and a spoon alongside a decanter, a wine glass, and a mustard pot. As a representative of the genre, the work presents these objects in a realistic manner, focusing on the textures and materials of the depicted items.
The painting captures a moment of a meal, showcasing the variety of goods available at a banquet setting.
Technique & Style
A Banquet-piece is an oil painting on canvas by Willem Claesz Heda, executed in 1635. The work measures 55.3 × 73.8 cm and exemplifies the Dutch monochrome still-life tradition for which Heda is renowned. The composition depicts a banquet arrangement including ham, a decanter, bread, a wine glass, a knife, a spoon, and a mustard pot.
Heda's characteristic restrained palette and meticulous attention to the reflective surfaces of glass and metalware are evident in the careful rendering of these objects. The painting demonstrates the artist's sophisticated handling of light and texture within the modest tonal range typical of his early monochrome banquet pieces.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1635 by Dutch still-life master Willem Claesz Heda, as indicated by its internal documentation and Wikidata entry.
By the late 19th century it entered a British private collection, recorded as owned by Sir Henry Page-Turner Barron, 2nd Baronet. It later transferred to the National Gallery of Ireland, where it remains held today.
A Banquet-piece is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, where it is recorded as a painting by Willem Claesz. Heda dating to 1635. The work was formerly owned by Sir Henry Page-Turner Barron, 2nd Bt., a provenance link that bridges its earlier private ownership and its present institutional home.
While the Wikidata record confirms the current location and prior ownership, it does not supply a specific inventory or accession number, nor does it document any exhibition history for the painting.
Overview
Willem Claesz. Heda’s A Banquet‑piece (1635) is an oil on canvas still‑life that presents a modest spread on a white‑clothed table. The composition includes a sliced ham, a torn loaf of bread, a knife, several glasses and a silver jug, set against a darkened wall. The work exemplifies the Dutch “late‑breakfast” genre, emphasizing everyday nourishment rendered with meticulous detail.
Artist & collection
Artist
Willem Claeszoon Heda (December 14, 1593/1594 – c. 1680/1682) was a Dutch Golden Age painter from the city of Haarlem devoted exclusively to the painting of still life. He is known for his innovation of the late…
