Dutch painter. He was a painter of still-lifes, particularly of still-lifes of fish and fruit. He was probably the pupil of Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp. He travelled to Rome in 1651-1657. In 1657 on his return to the Netherlands he settled in The Hague and became a member of the Confrerie Pictura in 1665. He was a follower of Pieter van Noort (1602-after 1662) and Jan Davidsz. de Heem.
The picture shows a still-life with fish, an upturned crab, oysters, cockles and muscles, a ray, a lobster, turbot and haddock, all on a table in an interior.
In this still-life, we see on a stone table both salt and fresh water fish, oysters, mussels and a North Sea lobster. Most striking is a sizable turbot with head and tail tied together with a thread to keep it fresh.
Painting fish in a lifelike manner was an exceptional challenge for a painter. Depicting the shiny skin in a convincing manner was not simple. Furthermore fish have a limited range of colours, so that an artist must draw on all his skill in composition, and the treatment of light and materials if he is to make his painting interesting.
