Still Life with Fruit and Wineglasses on a Silver Plate

Willem Kalf was one of the leading still life painters of the Dutch seventeenth century. His pronkstillevens (‘sumptuous still lifes’) always include a few luxury objects and exotic fruits placed against a dark background. He did this to great effect: the silver dish and glasses immediately draw attention with their sparkling light reflections. But here it is the vibrant citrus fruits that really seem to jump off the canvas.

For many years there were doubts about whether this painting really was by Kalf, but in 1995 the collector Van Dedem bought it anyway. That same year the artist’s signature was discovered. Van Dedem clearly had an excellent eye.