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Gallery Text

Trained by his father, Cornelis de Heem belonged to three generations of artists who specialized in paintings of assembled fruits, flowers, and luxury objects. Here, De Heem depicts fruits and nuts overflowing from a silver plate on a stone tabletop. Originating from exotic locations far from Holland, these edible delicacies suggest the wide availability of goods in the Northern Netherlands and the reach of Dutch trade in the period. This still life invites the viewer to look beneath the surface of the elements; for instance, some of the peaches and figs are shown split open to expose their insides. It also encourages an appreciation of the painter’s representational skill, demonstrated in the naturalistic depiction of the withered skin of the grapes, prickly spikes of the chestnuts, and reflective surface of the silver plate.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2016.241
People
Cornelis Jansz de Heem, Dutch (Leiden 1631 - 1695 Antwerp)
Title
Still Life with Fruit and Chestnuts
Other Titles
Former Title: A Still Life with Fruit and Chestnuts upon a Stone Ledge Draped with a Brocaded Blue Cloth
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
c. 1655-65
Culture
Dutch
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/356429

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
29.6 × 37.4 cm (11 5/8 × 14 3/4 in.)
framed: 48 × 56 cm (18 7/8 × 22 1/16 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: painted on stone ledge: C. DE HEEM

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Private Collection, United Kingdom. [1] [Phillips, London, July 4, 1989, lot 87], sold; to [Johnny van Haeften, Ltd., London], sold; to Peter and Anne Brooke, Boston 1994

Notes
[1] Information provided by Dr. Fred G. Meijer of RKD in November 2016.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Peter and Anne Brooke
Accession Year
2016
Object Number
2016.241
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
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Publication History

  • Fine Old Master Paintings, auct. cat., Phillips, London (London, July 4, 1989), pp. 114-115, lot 84, repr. p. 115 and cover

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2400 French/Italian/Spanish, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/14/2017 - 01/10/2018

Related Works

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu