Artwork
Ein Frühstück
Ein Frühstück is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Thomas van Apshoven. It dates from 1643 and is held in the collection of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
About this work
Overview
Thomas van Apshoven’s *Ein Frühstück* (1643) is an oil painting that presents a carefully arranged still life on a tabletop. The composition centers on a glass of wine, a bunch of grapes, assorted fruit and shells, rendered with a focus on realistic detail. Light falls from the left, creating contrasts that model the objects in three‑dimensional space.
Subject & Meaning
The work exemplifies the 17th‑century Flemish interest in ordinary, domestic scenes, turning a simple breakfast setting into a study of material abundance and sensory experience. By depicting everyday foodstuffs, the painting reflects the period’s fascination with the visual richness of daily life.
Technique & Style
Van Apshoven employs chiaroscuro, using strong light‑and‑shadow contrasts to give depth and volume to the objects. The brushwork captures the texture of glass, skin, and shell, while the overall palette and composition align with the Flemish Baroque tradition of detailed observation.
History & Provenance
Created during van Apshoven’s mature period, the painting follows his frequent focus on genre scenes of peasant interiors, a subject matter he shared with contemporaries such as David Teniers the Younger. The work remains documented as part of the artist’s output in the mid‑1600s, though specific ownership records are limited.
Context
*Ein Frühstück* belongs to a broader Flemish Baroque movement that celebrated the visual representation of commonplace activities. Artists of this era often used still life to explore texture, light, and the fleeting nature of material goods, situating van Apshoven’s piece within a network of similar domestic tableaux.
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas van Apshoven (1622 – 1664/7) was a Flemish painter known for his landscapes with peasant scenes and genre scenes in interiors.
Still life with fruit, bread, and glassware
Still Life with a Roemer
Fruit
Still Life: Bowl with Fruit and Wine Glass
Fruit Still Life with Oysters
Stillleben mit Früchten und Silberschale
Still Life with a Roemer
Fruit (Still Life)
Still Life
Stillleben mit Sinnspruch und Fastenspeisen
Still Life with a Basket of Fruit
Plate with Fruits and Shells