Pieter Claesz - Still Life with Drinking Vessels [1649]


The wineglass at the left is a 'roemer', and in the centre is an octagonal 'pas-glas', containing beer. The porcelain bowl is an example of Chinese export ware which can be dated to the Wanli period (1573 - 1619). The metal objects were most likely made of silver and pewter. Although the arrangement evokes an impression of simplicity and modesty, a contemporary viewer would have immediately recognised the costliness of the different objects. The painting, a typical work from the end of the artist's career, has been cut down, probably on all four sides, perhaps by as much as five centimetres.

[Oil on oak, 63.5 x 52.5 cm]