still life with strawberries
Pieter Claesz was a Dutch Golden Age painter of still lifes.
He and Willem Claeszoon Heda, who also worked in Haarlem, were the most important exponents of the "ontbijt" or dinner piece. They painted with subdued, virtually monochromatic palettes, the subtle handling of light and texture being the prime means of expression. Claesz generally chose objects of a more hospitable kind than Heda, although his later work became more colourful and decorative. Claesz's still lifes often suggest allegorical purpose, with skulls serving as reminders of human mortality. The two men founded a distinguished tradition of still life painting in Haarlem. Pieter Claesz was influenced by the artist movement 'Vanitas'.
Floris Gerritsz van Schooten or Floris van Schooten was a Dutch painter who practised in a broad range of still life genres including breakfast pieces, fruit pieces, market scenes and large kitchen pieces.
Floris Gerritsz van Schooten or Floris van Schooten was a Dutch painter who practised in a broad range of still life genres including breakfast pieces, fruit pieces, market scenes and large kitchen pieces.
Jacob van Hulsdonck was a Flemish painter who played a role in the early development of the genre of still lifes of fruit, banquets and flowers.
Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford was an English writer, founder of the Gothic romance, bibliophile, and collector.
Born into an aristocratic family, Walpole received a classical education worthy of a young aristocrat at Eton College, then studied at Cambridge University and traveled widely in Europe.
Later he settled in his castle Stroberry Hill, where he gradually amassed one of the largest and richest art galleries in England. Here Walpole also wrote the first Gothic novel, Ontario Castle (1764), which became a prototype of horror literature that made him famous. Walpole also left an extensive private correspondence of some 4,000 letters, a most interesting survey for scholars of the history, manners, and tastes of his era.
