Her Early Life

Clara Peeters (1594-1657(?)) was a Flemish still-life painter. She was born in Antwerp, Belgium on May 15, 1594. She was known for her meticulous brushwork, sophisticated arrangement of materials, and precise textures of the varied objects that she painted.

The varied subjects of her paintings include so-called banquet or breakfast pieces, namely, displays of goblets, ceramic vessels, tableware, food and drink, and flowers. She was the only female artist who exclusively painted still lives in the 17th century.

Clara was also one of the first known artists to incorporate self-portraiture into still-life paintings.

Conjectures, Due to Lack of Hard Evidence

Clara Peeters was a well-known personality during her time. However, very little is known for certain about life. Even the dates of the major events of her life, such as baptism, marriage, etc are left to conjectures and assumptions, in the absence of any hard documentary evidence.

She is thought to have been baptized in 1594 and to have married in 1639 and both these events took place in Antwerp. Historians also suggest that she may have resided in both Amsterdam and The Hague at some points in her career.

Some shreds of evidence indicate that she was born in Antwerp and her godmother was Spanish; she worked in both Flanders and Holland.

Since there is no mention of her in the existing records of the Antwerp Painters Guild, it is difficult to look for a reliable chronology of the events of her life.

However, the first painting that she signed was made when she was just thirteen years old.

Innovative Still-life with self-portraiture

An analysis of her works indicates that she received art education from a master technician of oil painting. She produced a series of paintings, including ‘Still Life with Fish, a Candle Artichokes, crab, and Prawns’ in 1611.

This well-known painting depicts freshly caught fish, shrimp, and crabs among other items on a banquet table. Every scale on the fish is rendered in a highly detailed manner.

The valuable objects that Clara painted included polished vases and goblets. These objects serve as the centerpiece for another important innovation: ‘Self-portraiture in ‘still-life’. She adopted this technique in her painting ‘Still Life of Flowers, a Silver-Gilt Goblet, Dried Fruit, Sweetmeats, Bread Sticks, Wine and a Pewter Pitcher’ made in 1611.

There is a display of a ‘somewhat distorted reflection of the painting artist’ incorporated into the polished surfaces of a gilt-adorned goblet and pitcher.

In this manner, Clara Peeters became one of the first artists to incorporate self-portraiture into her still lifes.

Well-known still-life paintings of Clara Peeters

Some of the famous still-life paintings of Clara include, ‘Still Life with Fish, a Candle Artichokes, crab, and Prawns’ in 1611, ‘Still Life of Flowers, a Silver-Gilt Goblet, Dried Fruit, Sweetmeats, Bread Sticks, Wine and a Pewter Pitcher’ made in 1611, ‘Still Life with Cheese, Artichoke, and Cherries’,