Pieter Snijers, 'A Still Life', 1707-52
| Full title | A Still Life with Fruit, Vegetables, Dead Chickens and a Lobster |
|---|---|
| Artist | Pieter Snijers |
| Artist dates | 1681 - 1752 |
| Date made | 1707-52 |
| Medium and support | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 118.8 × 99.7 cm |
| Inscription summary | Signed |
| Acquisition credit | Bought, 1894 |
| Inventory number | NG1401 |
| Location | Not on display |
| Collection | Main Collection |
This is a display of all the rich fruit, fish and fowl that could be found on a wealthy man’s table. Lobsters and chicken are placed close to the full basket of fruit – peaches, nectarines, a single black plum. A costly blue-and-white Chinese bowl stands next to it, full of wild strawberries. The pale stalks of bunches of asparagus gleam in the dim light, with lemons and artichokes pressing in around them. It’s a picture of abundance.
Pictures of this kind, without a focused arrangement and with little attempt at directional lighting to make objects and textures stand out, were intended to hang in the dining rooms of the wealthy – a background that fitted the occasion without being too demanding.
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