Details

Object type

painting

Title

Still-life: Silver-gilt Goblet and Bowl of Fruit

Artist/Maker

Willem Kalf artist

Culture/School

Dutch

Date

circa 1656-1660

Materials

oil on canvas

Dimensions

framed: 1007 x 870 x 70 mm;unframed: 838 mm x 698 mm

Description

This is an example of a ‘pronk’ (ostentatious in Dutch) Still Life, a genre specific to the Dutch Golden Age. Willem Kalf was one of the great masters of this genre, an expert in composition and lighting.

The success of the Dutch Republic’s international trade provided perfect subjects for such still paintings. The Seville orange, German silver-gilt cup, and Italian façon-de-Venise style wine glass are examples of the expensive imports that the wealthy Dutch Republic successfully traded worldwide during the 17th century.

A distinctive feature of Kalf’s paintings is the representation of objects against a dark, almost black background. Aside from creating an immediate sense of drama, this demonstrates Kalf’s considerable talents. For example, through bright highlights placed at exactly the right spot, Kalf is able to achieve the difficult task of depicting an almost transparent glass in near-darkness.

Kalf was a popular artist, and sold many pictures during his lifetime. He painted a limited number of objects, which varied only slightly between paintings: the standing cup, for example, reappears in at least four other paintings of similar date.

This painting may have been owned by Kalf himself, who also operated as an art dealer. He came from a wealthy family and worked in Amsterdam. His ‘pronkstilleven’ have no obvious moral message. They seem to celebrate wealth itself, but with subtlety and great technical skill.

Credit Line/Donor

Bequeathed by James Donald, 1905

ID Number

1128

Location

Kelvingrove Dutch Art Gallery