Stilleven met vissen

About this artwork

Stilleven met vissen. Op een stenen plint liggen deels in een mand: kabeljauwen, moten zalm, oesters en mosselen, een krab en een paar platvissen.

Art Historical Context

Isaac van Duynen's *Stilleven met v* (Still Life with Fish), painted between 1645 and 1681, captures the bounty of the sea in exquisite detail. On a stone plinth, cod, salmon steaks, oysters mussels, a crab, flatfish spill partially from a woven basket, their glistening scales and textured shells rendered with masterful realism in oil on canvas (96 × 128 cm). This large-scale work invites viewers to marvel at the tactile quality of the seafood, as if fresh from Dutch fishing boats. As a specialist in marine still lifes during the Dutch Golden Age, van Duynen (c. 1628–after 1670) contributed to the era's obsession with *stilleven*—paintings celebrating everyday abundance amid prosperity from global trade. Oil on canvas allowed him to employ glazing techniques for luminous highlights on wet surfaces and subtle shadows that enhance the trompe l'oeil effect, fooling the eye into believing the fish might leap from the frame. Housed in the Rijksmuseum, this piece reflects 17th-century Netherlands' maritime dominance and cultural fascination with vanitas themes: the fleeting richness of life. Visitors often linger, drawn to its sensory allure, evoking the salty air of Amsterdam's markets.

About the Artist

Isaac van Duynen · 1615–1689

Comment on works: Still life; Fish