Object number1940.1.5

Banquet Still Life

Date1641

Artist Pieter Claesz (Dutch, c. 1597–1661)

CultureDutch

MediumOil on panel

DimensionsUnframed: 27 7/8 x 40 in. (70.8 x 101.6 cm)
Framed: 29 5/8 x 40 3/4 x 1 7/8 in. (75.25 x 103.51 x 4.76 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Lloyd Williams, in memory of her father, Daniel Cottier

On View

On view

Period17th c

Classification(s)

Painting

SignedSigned and dated (LL- on rim of plate): (monogram and date)

BibliographyMundy, James, The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center: Vassar College The History and Collection (New York: Prestel Publishing, 2007), p. 45ProvenanceCollections: Lloyd Williams

Label TextPieter Claesz made a career of “banquet” still-lifes. For contemporary viewers, the abundance of objects and foodstuffs could invoke a range of associations. The cruciform watch served as a reminder of life’s brevity, while the bread and wine recall the body and blood of Christ. Luxury goods such as the Chinese porcelain bowl and silver salt cellar projected a wealth attainable in the Netherlands due to international commerce, colonialist campaigns, and the slave trade, which in Haarlem involved exporting textiles, another dominant feature of this work. Above all, Claesz immortalized his ability to render these items skillfully by inserting, in a reflection on the pot at left, his self-portrait.

Terms

still lifes

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu