Artwork
Still Life
Still Life is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Lambert van Haven. It dates from 1667 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Lambert van Haven’s 1667 oil painting titled *Still Life* presents a modest arrangement of everyday objects on a tabletop. Central to the composition is a large white bowl brimming with fruit, accompanied by a smaller dark bowl and a handful of scattered pieces of fruit. The scene is set against a deep, muted background that isolates the objects and draws the viewer’s eye to their forms.
Subject & Meaning
The work exemplifies the traditional still‑life genre, focusing on the visual study of inanimate items rather than narrative content. By juxtaposing the bright, ripe fruit with the somber tones of the bowls and the dark backdrop, the painting invites contemplation of material abundance, the passage of time, and the fleeting nature of sensory pleasures.
Technique & Style
Van Haven employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, illuminating the foreground objects while allowing the surrounding space to recede into shadow. The oil medium enables subtle gradations of tone and a smooth rendering of textures, from the glossy surface of the fruit to the matte finish of the ceramic bowls. The composition balances careful detail with a restrained overall palette.
History & Provenance
Created in the late seventeenth century, the painting entered the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display. Its attribution to Lambert van Haven, a figure better known for architectural work, reflects the artist’s occasional forays into genre painting during his early career.
Artist & collection
Artist
A Danish painter working in the late 1600s, Lambert van Haven made grand ceiling designs and still lifes in oil.
