Simon Luttichuys, Still Life with a Golden Goblet and Roses, 1649
Painter Simon Luttichuys (1610–1661), whose name has since fallen into near obscurity, was a well sought-after artist of his time. A decade following Luttichuys relocation to Amsterdam in 1649, the London writer William Sanderson highlighted his extraordinary mastery of painting ‘dead-standing-things’, an early English term for the still life genre, by the Dutch painter named *Little-House*, a charming Anglicization of the artist's surname.
Luttichuys was known as an author of still lifes called *pronkstilleven* (from the Dutch pronken – to show off), which depict luxurious and exotic objects. These decorative compositions, sometimes also referred to as a ‘collector's dream’, were among the popular kind of painting in the 17th century Netherlands. They were a vivid reminder of the unprecedented commercial success of the Dutch East India, and consequently of the Dutch West India company, in the field of overseas trade and the subsequent blossoming of the prosperity of the Dutch Republic (or more elaborately the United Provinces of the Netherlands).
Sumptuous still life by Simon Luttichuys can be enjoyed in connection with the painting by his younger contemporary Willem Kalf (1619-1693), which is displayed in the very same room. Kalf, on whom Luttichuys' work had undeniable influence, was perhaps not only familiar with the exhibited still life, but also, according to preserved inventories, he finished one of Luttichuys' paintings after his death.
Curator: Lucie Němečková
