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Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels
Clara Peeters · Baroque & Dutch Golden Age
- Artist
- Clara Peeters (c. 1594–after 1657)
- Date
- c. 1615
- Dimensions
- 34.5 x 49.5 cm
- Medium
- Oil on panel
- Location
- Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands
This still life shows a carefully arranged meal on a dark table: a stack of cheeses on a pewter plate, a dish of almonds and raisins, pretzels, a bread roll, an elegant glass and a decorated knife.
A closer look
Peeters painted every texture with astonishing realism: the dry rind and crumbly interior of the cheeses, the soft sheen of butter curls, the metallic gleam of the plates, the transparency of the glass. The arrangement is calm and balanced, set against a plain dark background that makes the objects glow. Look closely at the silver knife: on its handle she engraved her own name, a kind of hidden signature. In some of her paintings she also painted tiny self-portraits reflected in metal surfaces.