Wineglass and a Bowl of Fruit
1663
Willem Kalf
Willem Kalf (Dutch, 1619–1693)
European Painting and Sculpture
Wineglass and a Bowl of Fruit, 1663. Willem Kalf (Dutch, 1619–1693). Oil on canvas; framed: 81 x 70.5 x 7.5 cm (31 7/8 x 27 3/4 x 2 15/16 in.); unframed: 60.3 x 50.2 cm (23 3/4 x 19 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1962.292 Priceless objects crowd the corner of a stone table in Kalf's composition. Pieces like the silver platter, delicate glasswares, thick rumpled carpet, and a Chinese porcelain bowl with peaches and an orange not only represented the great wealth and global reach of the Dutch trading empire, but were also a way for the artist to demonstrate his skill in recreating various surface textures. Kalf used different kinds of highlights to render reflections—quick dots, lines, and dabs of paint—creating sparkling, twinkling light effects that subtly distinguish objects from the surrounding shadows.
In 1797, the German poet Johann van Goethe wrote that Kalf's paintings lead to understanding "in what sense art is superior to nature and what the spirit of man imparts to objects when it views them with creative eyes. . . . if I had to choose between the golden vessels or the picture . . . I would choose the picture." Willem Kalf was the most accomplished proponent of the pronkstilleven, a Dutch term meaning "ostentatious still life."
In 1797, the German poet Johann van Goethe wrote that Kalf's paintings lead to understanding "in what sense art is superior to nature and what the spirit of man imparts to objects when it views them with creative eyes. . . . if I had to choose between the golden vessels or the picture . . . I would choose the picture." Willem Kalf was the most accomplished proponent of the pronkstilleven, a Dutch term meaning "ostentatious still life."
- Maker/Artist
- Kalf, Willem
- Classification
- Painting
- Formatted Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 81 x 70.5 x 7.5 cm (31 7/8 x 27 3/4 x 2 15/16 in.); Unframed: 60.3 x 50.2 cm (23 3/4 x 19 3/4 in.)
- Inscribed
- Inscription: Signed and dated lower left: "W. KALF 1663"
- Departments
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Accession Number
- 1962.292
- Credit Line
- Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
- Exhibitions
- Year in Review (1963), Dutch Art and Life in the Seventeenth Century, The Porcelain Connection, A Prosperous Past: The Sumptuous Still Life in the Netherlands, Still-Life Paintings from the Netherlands, 1550-1720, <em>Fra Rembrandt til Vermeer.</em> Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo (Oct. 9 - Dec. 6, 1959), no. 36 (lent by G. Begting, Amsterdam), <em>Blue and White: Chinese Porcelain and its Impact on the Western World.</em> The David and Alfred Smart Gallery, University of Chicago (Oct. 3- Dec. 1, 1985), no. 51., <em>A Prosperous Past: The Sumptuous Still Life in the Netherlands. </em>Het Prinsenhof, Stedelijk Museum, Delft (July 1- Sept. 4, 1988); Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge MA (Oct. 1- Nov. 27, 1988); and Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth (Dec. 10, 1988,- Feb. 12, 1989), no. 56.
- Rights Statement
- CC0
- Museum Location
- 215 French, German, and Dutch
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