Abraham Hendrickz van Beyeren
1620-1690
Abraham Hendrickz. van Beyeren (Van Beijeren spelled also "Beyeren") was a Dutch Baroque painter. He was little regarded in his day but is now considered one of the greatest of still-life painters. He was mostly active in his native city of The Hague but he lived in nearby Delft, Amsterdam, Alkmaar and Gouda. In 1678 he settled in Rotterdam, where he died in 1690.
He was obviously familiar with still life painting in several art centers. While in the 1640s most of his paintings were seascapes, Van Beijeren began to develop as a skilled still life painter of fish. In the 1650s and 1660s he focused on still lives with fine silverware, Chinese porcelain, glass and selections of fruit. He also painted a number of floral still life paintings.
In his panels of the 1650s, the composition and motifs recall Jan Davidsz de Heem's approximately contemporary work in Antwerp but the Rembrandtesque light is probably adopted from the celebrated Amsterdam specialist Willem Kalf.
The exotic vessels and delicacies seem equally well suited to the tastes of Amsterdam patricians and of courtiers at The Hague. In this context, the watch, suggesting temperance, strikes one as an obligatory footnote. Van Beyeren's palette was usually understated.
Unfortunately Van Beijeren signed his canvases with the monogram AVB and invariably failed to include a date. As a result it has been difficult to compile a chronology of his works.
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