Breakfast Still Life

painting by Pieter Claesz

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 19, 2026

Quick Summary

Pieter Claesz's "Breakfast Still Life" is a notable example of the Dutch "breakfast piece" genre. This style of still-life painting, popular in the 17th century, focuses on simple meals set on a table. Claesz achieved a striking simplicity and atmospheric quality by concentrating on monochrome colors and the play of light on objects like glasses, plates, and food.12

Still-life painting itself is the depiction of inanimate objects, emphasizing their form, color, texture, and composition. While present in antiquity, it emerged as an independent genre during the Renaissance. The 17th century was considered the "golden age" for still-life painting in the Lowlands.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Pieter Claesz
…Burning Candle (1627) and the Breakfast Still Life (1647) show a subtle variation of closely related monochrome colors, which in his later, more Baroque work became stronger. Claesz’s increasingly decorative work after 1640 includes lavish still-life displays. His son, Nicolaes Berchem, was a famous landscape painter.
Read More
…Burning Candle (1627) and the Breakfast Still Life (1647) show a subtle variation of closely related monochrome colors, which in his later, more Baroque work became stronger. Claesz’s increasingly decorative work after 1640 includes lavish still-life displays. His son, Nicolaes Berchem, was a famous landscape painter.
Read More