Still Life with Vegetables and Fruits

The Antwerp Baroque painter Jan Pauwel I Gillemans is best known for his flower and fruit pieces in the style of Jan Davidsz. de Heem. Typical characteristics of his work are the studied compositions, beautifully harmonious colours, accurate depictions of various types of fabric and detailed displays of flowers and vegetables in all their diversity. The centrepiece of the painting is a Delft blue bowl with citrus fruits, set against a dark background. It is surrounded by vegetables and fruit, which belong to different seasons. This suggests that the still life is not a snapshot, but an artificial construction. Such compositions were a symbol of transience. No conclusive agreement has been reached about the symbolic meaning of each individual detail.