Painted in Paris in the 1620s, this picture exemplifies the first great age of French still-life painting. In its pared-down composition, with its emphasis on subtle harmonies and the fascinating juxtaposition of two exotic shells—a nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) and a panther shell (Cypraea mauritiana)—with a simple chip-wood box filled with candied fruits, the picture looks forward to the work of Chardin. Exotic shells were much prized among collectors and often appear in paintings as emblems of vanity or as marvels of nature. Their luster offered a special challenge to painters—one Stoskopff not only mastered but used as a demonstration of painting as the rival of nature.

A French-speaking Lutheran, Stoskopff hailed from the independent city of Strasbourg, in what is now northeastern France. After attempting to set up shop in Frankfurt, he moved to Paris, where, between 1622 and 1641, he did his best work. The Metropolitan's picture dates from the mid- to late 1620s.