RING, Pieter de

(b. ~1615 Leiden, d. 1660 Leiden)

Dutch still-life painter whose style was close to Jan Davidsz. de Heem. In Leiden he was trained as a stonemason. During the day the young De Ring earned his living laying bricks and the night he drew and sketched. His grandfather provided the funds for training with De Heem under whose guidance De Ring soon became a good artist. By 1647 he was an established master and in 1648-49 he was co-founder of the Leiden Guild of Painters.

He specialized in fruit and flower still-lifes, and his work is closely approached the style and quality of De Heem.

Still-Life

The painting depicts a still-life of a glass, with peaches, shrimps and grapes on a pewter dish.

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Still-Life of Musical Instruments

The Leidener Pieter de Ring successfully adopted Jan Davidsz. de Heem’s compositional schemes and styles. De Ring’s works, particularly his fine, large ‘pronk’ (sumptuous or ostentatious) still-lifes, have been confused with his model. His custom of signing his still-lifes with a ring helps distinguish them. But this clue is not fail-safe. The ring has been known to have been painted out by dealers and collectors who wanted their de Ring to pass as a de Heem.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 6 minutes):

Giuseppe Torelli: Sonata a cinque in D Major No. 7

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Still-Life with Fruit, a Lobster and a Silver-gilt Cup

This still-life manifests a good knowledge of the paintings by Jan Davidsz. de Heem, particularly his work from the first half of the 1650s. De Ring was probably trained by De Heem himself, and he had opportunities to see his paintings in the studio or elsewhere.

The painting is marked with a ring, lower right.

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