HEEM, Jan Davidsz. de
(b. 1606, Utrecht, d. 1684, Antwerpen)

Still-Life with Fruit and Lobster

1648-49
Oil on canvas, 95 x 120 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

De Heem painted this still-life during his first Antwerp phase. Compositionally, it is close to the ornamental still-lifes by Abraham van Beyeren of the early 1650s, who was no doubt influenced by de Heem, especially with regard to the terraced arrangement of the fruit, the mussels, the tableware and the jug. Unlike van Beijeren, however, de Heem's art scintillates with bright colours and an unsurpassable attention to detail. Influenced by the Jesuit artist Daniel Seghers, de Heem frequently incorporated hidden religious symbolism in his paintings. In this still-life, for example, the mussel and the lobster are allusions to the resurrection, and are related to the 'Eucharistic' grapes.