Pieter Claesz

PIETER CLAESZ (Burgsteinfurt, ca. 1597-Haarlem, 1660).
"Still life."
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Presents illegible date in the lower right area.
Signed with anagram in the lower right area.
Measurements: 106 x 136 cm; 121 x 150 cm (frame).
This painting, made by Pieter Claesz, is a great example of the quality of the Dutch Baroque still life of the XVII century. The composition is arranged on a table covered with a crumpled white tablecloth, on which various objects and foodstuffs are arranged. These include open oysters, a red crab in the center of the scene, glass goblets with wine, ceramic and metal jugs, fruits such as lemons and grapes, and a round loaf of bread. The earthy colors and dramatic lighting, with strong chiaroscuro, endow the scene with great realism, reinforced by the detailed textures of each element, from the softness of the fruits to the hardness of the metal and the delicacy of the glass.
If we compare this work with "Still Life with Pastel and Turkey" by Claesz in 1627, which is in the Rijksmuseum, we can notice significant similarities. Both paintings show an abundant table with various food and utensils, capturing the opulence and transience of life. Moreover, the composition is very similar in terms of the arrangement of the elements. On the other hand, the color palette in both works maintains the same warm, earthy tone, with the light emphasizing the finer details, such as the reflections in the glass and the texture of the fruits.
Pieter Claesz is a key figure in the genre of still life in the Netherlands in the seventeenth century. His work is a reflection of the period of economic prosperity in Holland, where the bourgeoisie developed a taste for detailed depictions of everyday luxuries. His paintings were not only exhibitions of technical skill, but also meditations on the transience of life and the ephemeral enjoyment of worldly pleasures, a key feature of the concept of vanitas. This pictorial genre, which flourished in the Dutch Golden Age, combined extreme realism with moral symbolism, suggesting the transience of wealth and the inevitability of death. Thus, Claesz not only documented the materiality of his time, but also left an artistic legacy charged with philosophical meaning.

Pieter Claesz He was born in Berchem, Belgium, near Antwerp, where he became a member of the Guild of St. Luke in 1620. He moved to Haarlem in 1620, where his son, the landscape painter Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, was born. He and Willem Claeszoon Heda, who also worked in Haarlem, were the leading exponents of the "ontbijt" or breakfast painting. Claesz's still lifes often suggest an allegorical purpose.