Artwork
Still Life: Haddock, Plaice, Crabs and Lobster
Still Life: Haddock, Plaice, Crabs and Lobster is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Abraham van Beijeren. It dates from 1660 and is held in the collection of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1660, this oil painting presents a modestly lit tabletop crowded with a selection of sea creatures—a haddock, a flat plaice, several crabs and a curled lobster—arranged atop a woven basket and a small dish. The dark background heightens the contrast, allowing the glint of the fish scales and the reddish shells to dominate the visual field.
Subject & Meaning
The work belongs to the Dutch tradition of marine still lifes, where the artist showcases the bounty of the sea and the fleeting nature of food. By grouping diverse species together, the composition invites contemplation of abundance, the transience of consumption, and the skill required to render such varied textures within a single frame.
Technique & Style
Executed with meticulous brushwork, the painter captures the slick sheen of the haddock’s scales and the rough carapace of the crabs through subtle variations in light and shadow. The chiaroscuro effect, achieved by a single, muted light source from a distant window, creates depth and accentuates the tactile qualities of each creature against the somber surface.
History & Provenance
The piece is attributed to Abraham van Beijeren, a Dutch Baroque artist known for elaborate fish still lifes during the Golden Age. It entered the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum’s collection, where it remains on display, offering insight into 17th‑century Dutch still‑life conventions and the artist’s specialized focus on marine subjects.
Artist & collection
Artist
Abraham Hendriksz van Beijeren or Abraham van Beyeren (c. 1620, The Hague – March 1690, Overschie (Rotterdam)) was a Dutch Baroque painter of still lifes. Little recognized in his day and initially active as a marine…
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