The Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels

Clara Peeters is one of the few known women painters of the seventeenth century. She was active from 1607 to 1621 and probably came from Antwerp. All of her paintings were still lifes, mainly banquet pieces with simple foodstuffs and valuable tableware. 

The plate holds some crumbly cheeses, on top of which is an earthenware plate with curls of butter. Figs, almonds, and raisins lie in a Wan Li porcelain dish, behind which a Venetian glass (decorated with gilt) is on display beside an earthenware jug. Other items lie loose on the table: a roll, some pretzels, and a richly decorated knife. 

Clara Peeters excelled at painting banquet scenes of this type; that much is evident from her handling of the crumbly cheeses and the creamy curls of butter. One splendid detail is the hole made with a cheese scoop in the large wedge of cheese by the inspector to evaluate the centre of the cheese. The striking silver bridal knife is decorated with figures representing the virtues of Faith and Moderation and two intertwined hands; Clara Peeters placed her signature on this knife. The pewter lid of the earthenware jug shows the reflection of a woman's face with a white cap — a self-portrait. This was Clara’s second signature. 

Oh my — I get so hungry when I look at this painting!