Still life with medallion
- Place made
- Antwerp, Flanders (Belgium)
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 49.0 x 40.5 cm
- Credit line
- Gift of Susan Cocks and Dr J.B Robinson, Colin and Robyn Cowan, Emeritus Professor Anne Edwards AO, Gwinnett Family, Peter and Pamela McKee, Tom Pearce, John Phillips and David Urry through the Art Gallery of South Australia Foundation Collectors Club 2019
- Accession number
- 20197P128
- Signature and date
- Signed and dated in painting (around medallion) l.r., "HEEROMAN VANDER MYN AETAT XXVI MDCCXI".
- Provenance
- Louis Lewis Angelo Jessop (1843, London-1922, Adelaide), thence by descent; acquired by AGSA 2019
- Media category
- Painting
- Collection area
- European paintings
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WALL LABEL: Being human, collection display 2023
Still life with medallion demonstrates the ongoing importance of the still life genre, a tradition which came to the fore in the seventeenth century, during what is now known as the Golden Age of Dutch Painting. Beyond merely representing beautifully arranged objects, Dutch still lifes are replete with important symbolism and are often associated with the profound concepts of life, death and rebirth. Each of the objects in this exotic concoction of red and white grapes, peaches, apricots, a gourd and chestnut, has its own symbolic meaning, but more generally this work can be interpreted as a vanitas, a sombre reminder of both the beauty and fragility of everyday life.
Tansy Curtin, Curator of International Art Pre-1980