Probably by Gerrit Willemsz. Heda, 'Still Life with a Nautilus Cup', probably about 1645
About the work
Overview
This gloriously cluttered picture seems to suggest the aftermath of a rich banquet that’s gone a little too far. Objects sit on the table at a perilous angle or materialise from nowhere, but the one that takes centre stage is secure. It’s called a nautilus cup and is meant to impress. It’s made from a real nautilus shell, at the time a rare and costly item.
A feast should have food, and Heda places a huge fish on a pewter plate. But it’s on the edge of the table, easily knocked off; the glasses next to it also tip sideways. Heda doesn't necessarily want to give a feeling of instability. He may have used this method to show skill at projecting objects into space towards us.
The fish, salt and nautilus all have a connection to the sea – perhaps the picture was a commission from a guild of merchants who dealt in such goods.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Still Life with a Nautilus Cup
- Artist
- Probably by Gerrit Willemsz. Heda
- Artist dates
- about 1624 - 1649
- Date made
- probably about 1645
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 84.6 × 99.5 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by Claude Dickason Rotch, 1962
- Inventory number
- NG6336
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
This painting is included in a list of works with incomplete provenance from 1933–1945; for more information see Whereabouts of paintings 1933–1945.
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School: 1600–1900’, London 1991; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1963National Gallery, Acquisitions 1953-62, National Gallery Catalogues, London 1963
-
1965The National Gallery, The National Gallery: June 1962 - December 1964, London 1965
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1991Maclaren, Neil, revised by Christopher Brown, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 1600-1900, 2nd edn (revised and expanded), 2 vols, London 1991
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.