Jan Davidsz. de HEEM Dutch-Flemish 1605/06-1683/84 b. Utrecht, active Leiden and Antwerp Still life with fruit c.1640s oil on canvas 67.3 x 79.8 cm Felton Bequest 1935 231-4		As a still-life painter, de Heem is noted and was influential for combining the Dutch characteristic of attention to fine detail, a particular trait of his native Utrecht school, with a Flemish taste for elaborate composition and rich content. Painting mostly in Antwerp, he specialised in 'banquet still lives' and this work of the 1640s includes a German gilded cup, fine Venetian and Dutch glass, exotic Chinese porcelain, and an abundance of fresh fruits overflowing from the table. The scene is imaginative and fanciful, as it includes fruits which do not ripen at the same time. The painting appeals directly to the viewer's senses of smell, taste and sight, and its opulence reflects the economic prosperity of the Netherlands. Such works were status symbols for the patrons and they were so popular that many artists made careers from creating them.
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