Still Life with Fish, Candle, Artichokes, Crabs and Shrimp 1611

Clara Peeters created this still life with oil on panel around 1611, showcasing a variety of fish, crabs, shrimp, and artichokes alongside objects like a candle, glass, and metal cooking ware. Peeters's choice of materials is striking; she combines the traditional medium of oil paint with the depiction of everyday foods and functional metal ware. The items made of metal, such as the cooking pot and skimmer, possess a distinct materiality, as they demonstrate the labor and skill required to create them in a pre-industrial setting. The arrangement of these items highlights their textures, weights, and forms, thus inviting viewers to consider their origin, the cost to acquire them, and their use within a domestic setting. Notably, the abundance of seafood and other goods suggests a level of consumption associated with the rising merchant class of the time, as well as global trade routes and the impact they had on labor practices. By focusing on materials, making, and context, we can better appreciate the layers of meaning embedded in Peeters's still life, thus challenging any notions of separation between the fine arts, craft, and the social realities they reflect.