Artwork
Still-life
Still-life is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts. It dates from 1660 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts, a Flemish artist active in the mid‑17th century, produced this oil on canvas still‑life around 1660. The work exemplifies the trompe‑l'œil tradition, arranging a skull, a violin, and a written sheet on a darkened tabletop so that each object appears to project from the surface. It is presently owned by the Alte Pinakothek.
Subject & Meaning
The composition juxtaposes symbols of mortality and music—a human skull alongside a violin—suggesting a meditation on the fleeting nature of life and the transience of artistic expression. The inclusion of a handwritten paper adds a narrative element, inviting viewers to contemplate the written word within the visual illusion.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil, the painting employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, casting deep shadows that enhance the three‑dimensional illusion. Gijsbrechts rendered textures with meticulous detail, from the polished surface of the violin to the porous bone of the skull, achieving a convincing tactile realism that characterizes trompe‑l'œil works of the Dutch Golden Age.
History & Provenance
Gijsbrechts served as a court painter for the Danish royal family, a role that facilitated the creation of such illusionistic pieces for aristocratic patrons. After remaining in private collections, the painting entered the holdings of the Alte Pinakothek, where it forms part of the museum’s broader assemblage of 17th‑century Flemish and Dutch art.
Context
The work belongs to a period when Flemish and Dutch artists explored visual deception as a means of engaging viewers, often embedding moralizing themes within everyday objects. Gijsbrechts’ practice aligns with contemporaries who used trompe‑l'œil to challenge perception and underscore the interplay between art and reality.
Artist & collection
Artist
Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts
Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts (1625/1629 – after 1675), was a Flemish painter who was active in the Spanish Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden in the second half of the seventeenth century.
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