Image: Frans Snyder, “Still Life with Basket of Fruit” (1630s)

Last week in our Saturday art posting we highlighted a joint painting by Peter Paul Rubens and Frans Snyders.  Snyders was a master of still life painting, and this week we highlight one of his solo projects, Still Life with Basket of Fruit.

Of course the the most arresting element of the painting is not the fruit, it is the bright red lobster.  The National Gallery of Art explains that “in the early 17th century, Frans Snyders created a new form of still life by combining fruit and game into a single image.”

The NGA offers this short bio:

“Born in Antwerp, Snyders trained with Pieter Brueghel the Younger (c. 1564–1637/1638) and probably also with Hendrick van Balen (c. 1574/5–1632). In 1602, at age 23, he joined the city’s artists’ Guild of Saint Luke. Following a study trip to Italy in 1608–1609, he established his own workshop. He quickly achieved international fame for his imposing still lifes, which include large market scenes, hunting pieces, and tabletops brimming with fruit and dead game.”

The painting is in the collection of the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne, Germany.

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If you are visiting a museum in D.C. and getting hungry looking at pictures of abundance, then check out our dining guide.  We have more than 250 recommended restaurants listed – and only recommended restaurants listed.  You can sort by cuisine, neighborhood, and/or rating!  In both MAP or LIST format.

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