Still Life with Drinking-Horn (detail) 1653

Willem Kalf crafted this still life with oils, showcasing a table replete with luxury items. The gilded goblet, a beacon of wealth, stands alongside a peeled lemon, a lobster, and fine glassware. This lemon, partially peeled, is no mere fruit; it speaks volumes. The act of peeling, revealing the fruit's interior, mirrors the unveiling of hidden desires. The lemon, imported at great expense, becomes a symbol of worldly indulgence. We see echoes of this motif in earlier Byzantine art, where citrus fruits signified paradise and abundance. Yet, here, its twisted peel suggests a fleeting pleasure, a memento mori. The goblet, too, glimmers with fleeting light, reminding us that material wealth is transient. This composition plays on our subconscious desires, appealing to our fascination with luxury and the senses. It stirs deep-seated anxieties about mortality and the ephemeral nature of beauty, themes that continually resurface in the visual arts.