Pieter Claesz: Master of Haarlem Still Life

Pieter Claesz (1596/97-1660) is one of the most important still life painters of the Dutch seventeenth century. He took up residence in Haarlem in 1620. His work is noted for the realistic portrayal of the various elements of still life, almost to the point of being tangible. The sobriety preached at the time (from around 1630 onwards) is expressed in the monochrome pallet of his modest little ‘banquets’ and ‘breakfasts’. The catalogue focuses on the period 1620-1645 in which Pieter Claesz developed the still life to perfection. He is an artist who transforms the daily, the mundane, a single rummer, a tin plate with a herring, into a momentous scene emanating a radiant beauty, using the simplest of means. This richly illustrated book includes images of fifty of the finest paintings Claesz created over the course of his remarkable career. Stunning details further reveal his mastery and the effects of light. The introductory essays examine the character and evolution of Pieter Claesz’s style of painting, his place in the development of Dutch still life, and the various subjects that appear in his works.

Condition: previous owners stamp, otherwise very good