Treck was a still-life painter who was born and worked in Amsterdam. His carefully composed, restrained still lifes are closely related to those of Jan Jansz den Uyl the Elder (1595/6 - 1640) who was Treck's brother-in-law and may also have been his teacher. Like den Uyl's, Treck's still lifes are a development of the style of the pioneering Haarlem still-life painters, Pieter Claesz. and Willem Heda.
Jan Jansz. Treck
1605/6 - 1652
Paintings by Jan Jansz. Treck
Here Jan Jansz. Treck has risen to the challenge of evoking the lustre of and distorted reflections in silver, pewter, glass, porcelain and eggshells as well as the complex shadows in a crumpled linen cloth. It was a highly valued skill in Dutch still-life painting and this rather beautiful examp...
Jan Jansz. Treck’s complex but sombre picture is a vanitas, a type of still life that holds a moral message. A still life often presents costly objects in an elegant composition to be admired and discussed by the viewer, like the musical instruments, lacquer box, Rhenish jug and scarf made with g...