Fruits and Shells on a Ledge
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Van der Ast belonged to a close-knit group of innovative still-life painters in the Dutch city of Middelburg, a major center for the colonial trading of the Dutch East India Company. He was particularly known for his rendering of shells, flowers, and insects, often arranged on an illusionistic shelf that seems to appeal almost as much to the sense of touch as to sight. The insects that buzz and flutter around the overripe fruit animate the surface of this well-preserved painting, guiding the eye to skip across the asymmetrical composition.
Artwork Details
- Title: Fruits and Shells on a Ledge
- Artist: Balthasar van der Ast (Dutch, Middelburg 1593/94–1657 Delft)
- Medium: Oil on wood
- Dimensions: 14 3/8 × 19 7/8 in. (36.5 × 50.5 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Private collection
- Object Number: L.2023.24.1
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings