Even the texture of the objects has been brought to life, from the rough lemon skin to the soft cloth and the shiny, smooth metal plates. During the 17 th century, driven by new freedom from Spanish Catholic rule, the Dutch Republic experienced a surge in economic and cultural prominence. With around 70 works to his name, Heda was one of the most famous still life artists of his time. Juriaen van Streeck, Still Life with Moor and Porcelain Vessels, ca. 1659. Therefore, from the beginning of the 17th century, Dutch artists started to incorporate these highly valued imports into their paintings. Johannes Vermeer, Girl Reading a Letter by an Open Window, ca. Heda, lived in Haarlem in the Netherlands all his life. The Ming sugar bowl, for instance, simultaneously suggests two different cross-cultural exchanges, one more sinister than the other. Since then, critics have generally belonged to two opposing schools of thought when it comes to interpreting them. Now numbering more than 150 paintings, the collection comprises examples of the portraits, genre scenes, landscapes, marine paintings, still lifes, and biblical and mythological scenes … One of the consequences of independence was a shift in the balance of power. The fruit has been pealed delicately to have the skin twirled and hanging off the edge of the plate in the foreground. The lemon seems this way because the covering skin is mostly absent of shadow or a light and dark contrast, resulting in a slightly two dimensional appearance. The lid of the golden-orange cup looks flat on its top because of the lack of light hitting it. However, an unnaturally looking cloth, regardless of reality, does not do the composition great justice. Compared with another of Heda’s works completed a year later in 1635 called Still Life with Gilt Cup, the later piece exhibits not a single flaw. There are works of his in numerous other museums, one of which is the National Gallery in London. While one can see Heda’s work online, there is nothing quite like viewing the original artwork of an ancient master up close. We test whether this assumption is correct by examining Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Meanwhile, the typical blue-and-white pattern on the bowl would later be adopted by Delft potters, leading to the famous “Delft Blue” of Dutch earthenware—which, therefore, has Chinese origins. Referred to as the “noble liquid” by the 17th century Dutch, depictions of milk evinced cultural heritage and pride in local produce. Private organizations like the Dutch East India Trading Company and the Dutch state aggressively pursued their economic agendas overseas, and the brutal legacy of colonialism is still felt today. The Dutch artist Willem Claeszoon Heda (c. 1594 – 1680), usually shortened to Willem Claesz. These objects offer excellent practice in portraying reflections. Abraham van Beyeren, Still Life with Lobster and Fruit, early 1650s. The rising Dutch merchant class now had more expendable income than ever before, which they chose to use on improving their standard of living, including furnishing their homes with paintings. There are also two nuts of a different variety on the left, also cracked for added detail, the shells remaining alongside the nuts. It is imperative that this idea of being able to touch the items through the page is achieved for the piece to look more than real. Artists such as Floris van Dyck (c. 1575 – 1651) and Pieter Claesz (1597/8 – 1660) tended to use brighter colours in their still lives than Heda did. By unpacking specific objects here, seemingly disparate cultures come together, connected by the Netherlands’s globalizing ambitions. Many are single figures, like the Vermeer's The Milkmaid; others may show large groups at some social occasion, or cro… The Dutch Golden Age is one of the finest examples of independence breeding cultural pride. The Dutch Golden Age led to a tremendous outpouring of still-life paintings in the 17th century. Julie Berger Hochstrasser set the stage for a postcolonial critique of these works with her seminal 2007 book. Published on October 12, 2016 You may think that all those marvellous Dutch still lifes from the 16th and 17th century were just some random sets of fruits, vegetables and sculls. His ability in rendering reflections was and is considered masterful. Both the silver and golden-orange cups are highly intricate, yet the detail has been quite simply portrayed by the use of light and dark. The Dutch Golden Age Gave Us Artists and Dealers as We Know Them Today, Vivian Springford’s Hypnotic Paintings Are Making a Splash in the Art Market, Sonia Gomes Crafts Bold Textile Works from Strangers’ Treasures, The Return to Amsterdam of the Second Expedition to the East Indies, "Asia > Amsterdam" at Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Still Life with Cheeses, Artichoke, and Cherries, Still Life with a Chinese bowl, a Nautilus Cup and Fruit. “Works of art, ranging from simple prints and copies to originals hung in almost all Dutch homes,” writes John Michael Montias in his 1991 book, Still lifes helpfully reminded viewers of the prosperity of their republic. Jan Davidsz de Heem, Still Life with Ham, Lobster and Fruit, c. 1653. In Juriaen van Streeck’s, The embarrassment of riches in these paintings brings up an obvious question: Who consumes what, and at whose expense? In a dull light on an old wooden table, there are a couple of what appear to be metal plates with olives, grapes or nuts on the far plate, and a lemon and a knife on the near plate. The only slight criticisms of the painting are that the bulk of the lemon where its skin continues to protect it appears mildly flat, as does the lid of the golden-orange cup. But guess what, they all had their hidden meaning! The detail in this later painting even goes as far as to have the artist’s signature on the cloth as though it was embroidered on. The basic, dim, either sun-lit or candle-lit background accentuates the foreground by not stealing focus. Jan Davidsz de Heem, Still Life with Ham, Lobster and Fruit, c. 1653. The prosperous Dutch Golden Age was largely fostered by wealth reaped from overseas trading and colonial ventures. Still Life with Oysters, Lemons and Grapes by Cornelis de Heem, 1660s via Wikicommons. The plates are sitting on a cloth which is dark with a green tint making it a shade of grey, and folded just on the left side of the golden-orange cup. It also provides the appropriate lighting for the mostly monochrome set up. The liquid in the glass cup brings yet more flavour to the composition, with its refraction and the depth in which one can see into it. While a year can make a vast difference in terms of one’s achievements, Heda’s skill is evidently no different between 1634 and 1635 since he used some of the same objects in both of the paintings in question. As the prosperity of Dutch society increased, the general public became more engrossed with the amusements of everyday life, including education, commerce, and material goods. However, it is likely that Heda made the addition himself. When paired with more austere foods, … The Dutch Golden Age led to a tremendous outpouring of still-life paintings in the 17th century. However, a complex layout is achieved quite simply by dropping the cloth naturally on the surface. Oysters still bear an erotic charge today, but in vanitas paintings, oysters conveyed a more explicit spirit of temptation. Willem Claeszoon Heda, Still Life Vanitas (1628), Willem Claeszoon Heda, Still Life Vanitas (1631), Willem Claeszoon Heda, Still life with ham, silver jug and roemer (1656). Courtesy of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. They are positioned in that order from left to right. The sense of reality with a cloth is amplified by the complexity of the layout. The most prominent items in the painting are the silver cup, glass cup, and golden-orange cup. An influx of trade boosted commerce, leading to the rise of a large middle and merchant class in the market for the … These are paintings that are limited in the colours used. The paintings became increasingly lavish and elaborate, in step with the growing affluence from trade that the Netherlands enjoyed. Following the end of the Eighty Years’ War with Hapsburg-controlled Spain in 1648, the Netherlands emerged as a vital political, economic, and cultural force. A couple of them were mentioned in this article, and their work, along with all of the other artists’ work, can be found online and witnessed at various museums, including those noted. Seasoned with expensive imported currants and spices from India and the Near East, mince pie was a delicacy served only on festive occasions. Courtesy of the Sammlung Shack/Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Limited-Edition Prints by Leading Artists. The collection of Dutch seventeenth-century paintings in the National Gallery of Art includes works by the masters of the Golden Age, including Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals, and Aelbert Cuyp . Photo via Wikimedia Commons. The pealed skin and circular cut where the inside of the fruit can be seen help to counter the issue of flatness. Far from examining some distant phenomenon, 17th-century Dutch still lifes offer an uncanny perspective on our own times, in which globalism and consumer culture seem to be reaching a peak, once again in tandem with one another. As was the case in his time, Heda used oil paints and a panel with which to articulate his ideas. Culture Trip analyses the work of the Dutch painter Willem Claeszoon Heda, whose art can be admired in Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and in the National Gallery in London. Heda was a master of monochrome still lives, a popular style in the 1630s as well as in other, surrounding decades. Willem Claeszoon Heda, Still Life Vanitas (1628) © wikimedia commons The Dutch artist Willem Claeszoon Heda (c. 1594 – 1680), usually shortened to Willem Claesz.