Still-Life
by HEDA, Willem Claesz., Oil on panel, 59,8 x 79,4 cm
One important strand in Dutch still-life painting is referred to by art historians as ‘monochrome breakfast pieces’ (monochrome banketjes). These consist of simple images, rendered with a limited palette, of tables set for a meal. Despite the possible allusion to biblical tables, they chiefly convey a sober interest in everyday reality. Heda’s painting is a good example of this genre.
The painting is signed and dated bottom right on tablecloth: HEDA / 1649.