Biography

Gillis Gillisz. de Bergh (also spelt Gillles Gillisz. de Berch), Dutch painter of still-lifes, notably fruit pieces. He worked in Delft all of his life, joined the painters' guild in 1624. His father was a sailmaker from Ghent, who arrived about 1590. His brother, Mattheus de Bergh (d. 1686) was a history painter, who joined the guild in 1638. His uncle Daniel de Bergh was a silversmith in Delft.

His early works are strongly related to the kitchen still-lifes of Cornelis Jacobsz Delff, who may have been De Bergh's teacher. In the 1630s he came under the influence of Balthasar van der Ast and Jan Davidsz de Heem. The tonal palette and objects - silver and silver-gilt tazzas and guild cups - in a few of De Bergh's works from the 1630s are reminiscent of paintings by Pieter Claesz.

Gillis and his brother appear to have been respected members of the artistic community in Delft. Still-lifes by Gillis are cited in local inventories especially in the third quarter of the century.