Skip to main content

Jan van de Velde, Still Life: A Goblet of Wine, Oysters and Lemons

Key facts
Full title Still Life: A Goblet of Wine, Oysters and Lemons
Artist Jan van de Velde
Artist dates 1620 - 1662
Date made 1656
Medium and support Oil on oak
Dimensions 40.3 × 32.2 cm
Inscription summary Signed; Dated
Acquisition credit Presented by Lord Savile, 1888
Inventory number NG1255
Location Not on display
Collection Main Collection
Still Life: A Goblet of Wine, Oysters and Lemons
Jan van de Velde

Jan van de Velde was an Amsterdam artist who specialised in still-life painting. His compositions were simple, like this arrangement of glass, oysters and lemons. The knife handle protruding from the table was designed to demonstrate his skill in showing perspective.

A seventeenth-century Dutch still life was intended as a decorative picture for the home, but also as a celebration of the exotic items that were available in the newly prosperous country. The oysters came fresh from the seas around Holland but lemons were a Mediterranean fruit, by this time grown in local hothouses that were expensive to run. The green glass roemer (the heavy wine goblet with buttons of glass on the stem) was also a costly item.

Download image
Download low-resolution image

Download a low-resolution copy of this image for personal use.

License this image

License and download a high-resolution image for reproductions up to A3 size from the National Gallery Picture Library.

License image
Download low-resolution image

This image is licensed for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons agreement.

Examples of non-commercial use are:

  • Research, private study, or for internal circulation within an educational organisation (such as a school, college or university)
  • Non-profit publications, personal websites, blogs, and social media

The image file is 800 pixels on the longest side.

As a charity, we depend upon the generosity of individuals to ensure the collection continues to engage and inspire. Help keep us free by making a donation today.

Download low-resolution image

You must agree to the Creative Commons terms and conditions to download this image.

Creative Commons Logo