Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606-1683/1684) grew up in Utrecht and received his training from still life painter Balthasar van der Ast. He later moved to Leiden in 1626, where he created monochromatic (or “single-colored”) still lifes, playing with variations of only one or two hues. His subjects were mainly musical instruments and books. After 1631, De Heem moved to Antwerp where his work became more vivid and dynamic. He also shifted his focus to depicting fruits and flowers. Despite residing predominantly in Antwerp, De Heem would often spend periods of time in the North, including stays in Utrecht in 1649 and between 1665 and 1672. Jan Davidsz. de Heem was popular with buyers and his fellow artists. He also had numerous students and imitators, including Abraham Mignon.
Jan Davidsz. de Heem was a highly successful painter who achieved great wealth through the sale of his paintings. He was a central figure in seventeenth-century Dutch still life painting. His work represents a synthesis of Dutch and Flemish traditions, and he influenced both his Dutch and Flemish colleagues.
He played a crucial role in the development of the pronkstilleven, which became very popular in the second half of the seventeenth century thanks to painters like Willem Kalf and Abraham van Beijeren. These still lifes display an array of luxurious objects, arranged in a theatrical and monumental composition. Gold, silver, porcelain, glass, shells, flowers, fruits, textiles, and musical instruments are some of the elements commonly found in these works.
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