Pieter Claesz

PIETER CLAESZ (Burgsteinfurt, ca. 1597-Haarlem, 1660).
"Still life."
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Attached study by Dr Martina Brunner-Bulst.
Presents illegible date in the lower right area.
Signed with an anagram in the lower right area.
Provenance: Swiss private collection and Soraya Cartategui S.L., Madrid.
Measurements: 106 x 136 cm; 121 x 150 cm (frame).
This canvas, signed with the monogram PC and dated 1657, is a clear example of Pieter Claesz's mature period, not only because of its monumental size, but also because of the difficulty involved in making this type of composition. In contrast to almost all the monochromatic works of the 1940s, around 1650, he begins to use a wider variety of colors and is more careful in the adaptation of the various elements that make up the still life, helping to give it a more opulent effect. The painting provokes a great visual impact, and it is necessary to observe it from a certain distance to appreciate the amount of details that appear in it. Comparative paintings within the same style can be found in the monograph of Pieter Claesz written by M. Burnner-Bulst.This painting, by Pieter Claesz, is a great example of the quality of 17th century Dutch Baroque still life painting. The composition is arranged on a table covered with a crumpled white tablecloth, on which various objects and foodstuffs are arranged. These include open oysters, a red crab in the center of the scene, glass goblets with wine, ceramic and metal jugs, fruits such as lemons and grapes, and a round loaf of bread. The earthy colors and dramatic lighting, with strong chiaroscuro, endow the scene with great realism, reinforced by the detailed textures of each element, from the softness of the fruits to the hardness of the metal and the delicacy of the glass.
If we compare this work with "Still Life with Pastel and Turkey" by Claesz in 1627, which is in the Rijksmuseum, we can notice significant similarities. Both paintings show an abundant table with various food and utensils, capturing the opulence and transience of life. Moreover, the composition is very similar in terms of the arrangement of the elements. On the other hand, the color palette in both works maintains the same warm, earthy tone, with the light emphasizing the finer details, such as the reflections in the glass and the texture of the fruits. Pieter Claesz is a key figure in the genre of still life in the Netherlands in the seventeenth century. His work is a reflection of the period of economic prosperity in Holland, where the bourgeoisie developed a taste for detailed depictions of everyday luxuries. His paintings were not only exhibitions of technical skill, but also meditations on the transience of life and the ephemeral enjoyment of worldly pleasures, a key feature of the concept of vanitas. This pictorial genre, which flourished in the Dutch Golden Age, combined extreme realism with moral symbolism, suggesting the transience of wealth and the inevitability of death. Thus, Claesz not only documented the materiality of his time, but also left an artistic legacy charged with philosophical meaning.

Important Dutch painter who worked in the city of Haarlem, father of N. Berchem. He was a great master within the genre of still life, especially he was unique when it came to making kitchen utensils, especially metal and clay jugs. Like the "monochromatic still life painters", Claesz was very careful with the pictorial effect of the folds of the tablecloths, giving them a greater realism to the scene. His earliest works are very similar to those of Willem Claesz. Over time, his style became more precise and at the same time looser, richer and more personal, giving his works such a personal touch that they can be recognized as his as soon as they are seen. He usually varied in his compositions, but not in the backgrounds, which he normally painted in brown, ochre and grayish-green tones, on which a lemon or a glass full of red wine stands out in a very evident way. Around 1652 he occasionally collaborated with his disciple and successor R. Koets. Claesz had an obvious influence on the early works of A. van Beyeren and S. Luttichuys. Because they have the same initials, his works have often been confused with those of Clara Peeters.

The painting on canvas is in good condition. Normal craquelure given its age, dirty varnish, small retouches from an old restoration (probably early 20th century): horizontal line of about 6cm under the upper edge of the painting, on the right contour of the bread, on the left edge in front of the plate of crabs, on the left edge of the plate of oysters, perpendicular line to the left of the salt shaker.
Pentimenti (i.e. corrections made by the painter himself during the process of making the painting): on the left edge of the covered zinc pitcher, on the left contour of the ceramic pitcher, on the lemon peels hanging over the edge of the plate (yellow outline clearly visible).