Artwork
Still Life (rejoined to its left half in 1956)
Still Life (rejoined to its left half in 1956) is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter Claesz. It dates from 1636 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Pieter Claesz’s oil painting, executed in 1636, presents a modest still‑life arrangement that was later physically rejoined to its original left side in 1956. The work is part of the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst and exemplifies the Dutch still‑life tradition of the early seventeenth century.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a tall rummer glass filled with dark wine, a tipped silver cup, a plate bearing two half‑peeled oysters, a few powdered pastries, and a solitary walnut. The objects, rendered with careful attention to texture, suggest a fleeting banquet scene and invite contemplation of transience and the pleasures of the table.
Technique & Style
Claesz employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, using a dark, unadorned background to heighten the contrast between light and shadow. The glass’s textured base, the glint on the silver cup, and the delicate sheen on the oysters are modeled with fine brushwork that gives the items a palpable three‑dimensionality.
History & Provenance
After its creation, the painting entered various private collections before being acquired by the Statens Museum for Kunst. In 1956 conservators reattached the right‑hand fragment to its original left half, restoring the work to its intended compositional balance.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter Claesz was born in 1596 or 1597 in Berchem, near Antwerp, and moved to Haarlem in the Dutch Republic around 1620.
