Artwork
Still life with pewter jug
Still life with pewter jug is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan Jansz den Uyl. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. Jan Jansz.
About this work
Overview
Jan Jansz. den Uyl, an Utrecht‑based painter of the Dutch Golden Age, completed the oil painting *Still life with pewter jug* in 1635. The composition presents a modest arrangement of domestic objects—a pewter jug, a knife, a lemon, a napkin, a glass tazza with a metal lid, and a coiled rope—set on a green tabletop. The work belongs to the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
Subject & Meaning
The painting gathers everyday items that were common in 17th‑century Dutch households, emphasizing their material qualities and the quiet ritual of a modest meal. By highlighting the reflective surface of the pewter jug against the soft texture of the napkin, the artist invites contemplation of light, texture, and the transient nature of ordinary objects.
Technique & Style
Den Uyl employs a restrained chiaroscuro, using a single light source to model forms and generate subtle shadows that give the objects a palpable three‑dimensionality. Fine brushwork renders the smooth sheen of the pewter and the translucency of the glass, while broader strokes suggest the fabric’s folds, creating a balanced contrast between hard and soft surfaces.
History & Provenance
Created in 1635, the painting entered the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp’s holdings during the 20th century, though earlier ownership records are sparse. Its presence in a major public collection reflects the continued scholarly interest in den Uyl’s still‑life oeuvre, which has been documented in Dutch Golden Age inventories and exhibition catalogues.
Context
Den Uyl specialized in breakfast and banquet still lifes, a genre that flourished in the Netherlands as a visual expression of prosperity and domestic virtue. The inclusion of a lemon—a symbol of acidity and freshness—alongside the pewter jug aligns the work with contemporary moralizing themes that linked material abundance to temperance and the fleeting nature of pleasure.
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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…
