PEETERS, Clara

The painting shows a still-life with mallard, hare, squirrel and basket of grapes. In this still-life Clara Peeters, a successful painter of Flower pieces, displays her mastery of animal painting.

This painting depicts slices of butter on a Wanli ‘Kraak’ porcelain dish, a stack of cheese on a pewter plate, with a jug, a fa�on-de-Venise wineglass, a bun, crayfish on a pewter plate, a knife and shrimp on a table.

Comprising a carefully staged assemblage of food, the composition relates directly to a group of five pictures by the artist with almost identically constructed stacks of cheese. While none of the so called “cheesestack” compositions are dated, based on stylistic consideration they were probably created in the 1620s and early 1630s. A number of objects painted in the present canvas are repeated in other compositions by Peeters.

A fairly large number of still-lifes with flowers by Clara Peeters are known, but particularly ‘breakfasts’ with cheese, fish, oysters and pastries, in combination with costly tableware, such as gold or silver goblets and Wang-Li porcelain. Her mature style is well illustrated by the Still-Life with Goblets, Flowers and Shells. It is colourful and descriptive and gives evidence of a remarkable feel for suggestion of texture. By distributing the objects over various picture planes she reinforces the illusion of depth.

The shells in the still-life have religious meaning: they are symbolically likened to Mary who gave birth to the ‘pearl of great price,’ Jesus.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 2 minutes):

Franz Schubert: Blumenlied (Flower Song) D 431