Artwork
Still Life with Ham, Covered Beaker, Tazza, Rummer and Jug on a Table
Still Life with Ham, Covered Beaker, Tazza, Rummer and Jug on a Table is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan Jansz den Uyl. It is held in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Jan Jansz.
About this work
Overview
Jan Jansz. den Uyl, a Dutch painter active during the Golden Age, completed this oil on canvas in 1640. The work is a banquet‑type still life, now part of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s collection, and presents a carefully arranged group of everyday objects on a table covered with a green cloth.
Subject & Meaning
The composition brings together a covered beaker, a tall metal jug, a decorative tazza, a small rummer, a slice of ham on a plate and a few pieces of fruit. By juxtaposing food, drinkware and metal vessels, the painting reflects the material abundance and domestic rituals of 17th‑century Dutch households.
Technique & Style
Den Uyl renders each item with precise attention to surface texture, especially the reflective quality of the metal objects. The illumination catches the edges of the jug and rummer, creating a subtle sheen that enhances the illusion of three‑dimensionality, a hallmark of the period’s chiaroscuro approach.
History & Provenance
After remaining in private hands for several centuries, the canvas entered the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the late 20th century. Its attribution to den Uyl has been confirmed through stylistic comparison with other banquet pieces he produced in the 1630s‑1640s.
Context
Banquet still lifes were popular in the Dutch Republic as displays of wealth and culinary culture. Den Uyl’s work aligns with contemporaries such as Willem Kalf, emphasizing luxurious table settings while maintaining a restrained, almost documentary quality.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Jansz. den Uyl (Utrecht (?), 1595/96 – 24 November 1639) was a painter of the Dutch Golden Age. He very much specialized in the form of still life known as the breakfast piece, or, in the elaborate style of painters…
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