Jan Davidsz de HEEM
Dutch 1605/06-1683/84
Still life with fruit
c. 1640
oil on canvas
67.3 x 79.8 cm
Felton Bequest 1935
231-4

De Heem is noted for combining the Dutch characteristic of attention to detail, a particular trait of his native Utrecht school, with a Flemish taste for elaborate composition and rich content.

Painting mostly in Antwerp, de Heem specialised in 'banquet still lives', and this work 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 are not in season 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.