HEDA, Willem Claesz.
(b. 1594, Haarlem, d. 1680, Haarlem)

Breakfast of Crab (detail)

1648
Oil on canvas
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Heda's rich breakfasts bring together, in a refined grey-olive green tone, tokens of prosperity - silver and gilt tableware, expensive glass articles, and the like. Their discreet sheen is brought out by the whiteness of the crumpled satin tablecloth, a symbol of rejected virtue that allows the artist to demonstrate his mastery of chiaroscuro modeling.




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.