About the Artist

Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606 Utercht-1683/84 Antwerp) was an inportant bridge between Dutch and Flemish painting. He concentrated on still lifes with flowers and books, and especially decorative still lifes. His paintings, whose subjects are usually arranged in front of columns, draperies, or natural landscapes, mark the high point of the Netherlandish still life. In 1625 de Heem family moved from Utrecht to Leiden, where Jan Davidsz, married the folowing year. He moved in 1635/36 to Antwerp, became a member of the St.Luke's Guild, and was granted citizenship in 1637. After the death of his wife, he married a second time in 1644. In 1667 the family returned to Utrecht, where de Heem again appears as a member of St. Luke's Guild in 1669. Three years later, the painter fled from advancing French troops to Antwerp, where he took up residence. His major works include Decorative Still Life with Lobster, c. 1648, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Decorative still life with Golden Pitcher, c. 1650, Gemaldegalerie, SMPK, Berlin, and Fruit and Vegetable Still Life with Pitcher in a Landscape, 1658. Stadelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt and Main.