Breakfast of Crab (detail)
by HEDA, Willem Claesz., Oil on canvas
Heda’s rich breakfasts bring together, in a refined grey-olive green tone, tokens of prosperity - silver and gilt tableware, expensive glass articles, and the like. Their discreet sheen is brought out by the whiteness of the crumpled satin tablecloth, a symbol of rejected virtue that allows the artist to demonstrate his mastery of chiaroscuro modeling.