Floris van Dijck, 'Still Life with Cheese, Fruit, Bread and Nuts', 1616

Floris van Dijck was one of the most important pioneers of so-called ‘display piece’ still lifes. His works are very rare but were highly influential. Almost all his compositions centre on a stack of cheeses on a plate seen from a high viewpoint so that the various elements of the composition are seen to their best advantage. Here, they are surrounded by grapes and various fruits in blue and white Wanli earthenware Chinese export porcelain bowls, two drinking glasses, nuts and further fruits scattered on the table, and a piece of bread and a sliced apple and its peel on a pewter plate precariously placed on the edge of a table covered with a red damask cloth and white lace. The elevated viewpoint is similar to early landscapes which also tend to adopt a bird’s-eye perspective. Many later Dutch still lifes take their cue from works such as this, even if their viewpoint gradually becomes lower and the colours more subdued.