Vegetable Still-Life
by SNYDERS, Frans, Oil on canvas, 144 x 157 cm
This still-life from the collection of Margrave Hermann von Baden-Baden, which has - probably correctly - been ascribed to Frans Snyders, may have belonged to Rubens at one time. It is one of the few examples of early 17th-century Flemish paintings which do not show market or kitchen scenes but the agricultural sphere of the production itself. However, it is worth noting that the farmer’s labour, as a source of the new wealth, has been completely delegated to the background (small section in the top right corner).