Alexander Coosemans
(Antwerp, 1627 - 1689)
STILL LIFE WITH FRUIT, LOBSTER, AND SILVERWARE
oil on canvas, 84x136.5 cm
NATURA MORTA CON FRUTTA, ARAGOSTA E ARGENTERIA
olio su tela, cm 84x136,5
A student of Jan Davidsz. de Heem and one of the most influential practitioners of Flemish still life in the second half of the 17th century, Alexander Coosemans played a leading role in the evolution of the pronkstilleven - the sumptuous, luxurious still lifes intended for the homes of the aristocracy and the merchant upper class. Admitted to the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1645, the painter stayed in Italy between 1649 and 1651, where he became involved in the artistic circles of Rome and Genoa and worked for the Doria-Pamphilj family. His Italian experience helped accentuate the monumental and theatrical character of his compositions, making them more dense and visually dramatic than those of his master, de Heem.
The painting presented here belongs to the artist’s most accomplished period and is an emblematic example of the Baroque taste for the ostentatious display of abundance. On a richly set table are arranged ripe fruits, an imposing lobster, and precious silver vases and cups, organized according to a carefully balanced composition that guides the eye along a succession of full and empty spaces, reflective surfaces, and vivid chromatic contrasts. The monumental scale of the format amplifies the illusionistic effect, transforming the still life into a veritable theatrical scene.
The dominant element of the composition is the lobster, whose intense vermilion color serves as the chromatic focal point of the entire painting. Around it unfolds a refined interplay between the various material qualities: the sheen of the silverware, the transparency of the fruit, the crinkled leaves, the wrinkled peels of the citrus fruits, and the velvety surfaces of the fruit are rendered with extraordinary technical skill. The light, coming from the side, illuminates the metals with vibrant reflections and lends volume to the objects through a skillful interplay of light and shadow, demonstrating the pursuit of illusionism that is one of the most characteristic features of Coosemans’s painting.
As in the finest 17th-century Flemish still lifes, the painting combines decorative splendor with a subtle symbolic meaning. The abundance of exotic foods and precious furnishings celebrates the owner’s prosperity and prestige, while the transience of the fruits and foodstuffs evokes - in keeping with the moral sensibilities of the era - the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures and the precariousness of the human condition. This dual interpretation - at once celebratory and meditative - constitutes one of the most fascinating aspects of the artist’s work.