Sensory Appeal and Painterly Virtuosity
Glass, silver and stoneware vessels, a partially cut ham, an artfully peeled lemon and a bread roll are carefully arranged on the table. The slightly elevated viewpoint corresponds to that of a standing person, offering a clear view of the individual objects. At the same time, the knife extending beyond the edge of the table and the plate with its curling lemon peel establish a connection between the pictorial space and the viewer.
Claesz combines the clear order of the laid table with an exceptionally sensuous depiction of food. The succulent flesh of the ham, the crisp crust of the bread, the gleaming silver and the moist surface of the lemon are rendered with great virtuosity and a keen sensitivity to the distinct qualities of different materials. The ham, in particular, displays the rougher brushwork characteristic of Claesz’s works from this period.
Although still lifes of this kind could allude to the transience of pleasure, here the emphasis is above all on the careful observation of the visible world. Through the sophisticated interplay of colour and light, and the astonishingly precise rendering of surfaces, Claesz transforms the laid table into an illusionistic pictorial world.