Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels

In this still-life, a table is laid with cheeses, pretzels and figs, alongside costly objects like a gilded Venetian glass and a Chinese dish. The Antwerp painter Clara Peeters was one of the first food still-life painters, and her ‘banketjes’ or banquet pieces had a great influence on the painters of the Northern Netherlands.

Besides putting her signature on the silver bridal knife, Peeters also painted herself. In the pewter lid of the earthenware jug, you can see the reflection of a woman’s face with a white cap. This is Clara’s self-portrait.