Still Life with Fish on a Vending Counter c. 1635 - 1640
jacobfoppensvanes
stadelmuseum
oil, canvas
fish
abstract painting
baroque
animal
sculpture
oil
painted
possibly oil pastel
oil painting
canvas
acrylic on canvas
underpainting
painting painterly
14_17th-century
painting art
watercolor
"Still Life with Fish on a Vending Counter" is a 17th-century oil painting by Jacob Foppens van Es, a Flemish painter known for his still lifes. This particular work, created between 1635 and 1640, features an abundance of fish, including cod, salmon, and crabs, arranged on a wooden counter. The composition includes a wooden bucket, a knife, and a piece of fabric, emphasizing the realistic depiction of the everyday objects and their textures. The painting, now housed in the Städel Museum, exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age's fascination with still life as a genre, showcasing the artist's masterful attention to detail and his exploration of light and shadow.
Comments
In masterly fashion, this still life stages – on a scale of 1:1 – a whole variety of fish laid out on a kitchen bench. It may well have been commissioned by a Flemish fishmonger or fishmongers’ guild. The motif was thus not chosen primarily for its symbolic potential, but for tangible, practical reasons: both the patron and contemporary viewers will have understood the painting above all as a kind of certification of quality with respect to the merchandise offered for sale.
Join the conversation
Join millions of artists and users on Artera today and experience the ultimate creative platform.
CollectMore like this
