Silver Wine Jug, Ham, and Fruit

c. 1660–66

Abraham van Beyeren

(Dutch, 1620/21–1690)

Culture

Netherlands

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

Framed: 124.5 x 108 x 8.5 cm (49 x 42 1/2 x 3 3/8 in.); Unframed: 99.7 x 82.6 cm (39 1/4 x 32 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1960.80

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Location

215 French, German, and Dutch

Did You Know?

Look closely: the shimmering surface of the silver wine jug reflects a portrait of the artist at his easel.

Description

With their typically large scale, and loose and energetic brushwork, Abraham van Beyeren’s opulent still life paintings were designed to be seen from a slight distance—perhaps installed over a mantelpiece. Here, for example, the silver wine jug is painted with rough strokes that seem almost abstract when viewed up close, but from a distance it becomes a fully realized object shimmering with complex reflections—including a ghostly self-portrait of the artist at his easel.