Wild strawberries in a Delftware bowl

While little is known of Jacob van Hulsdonck’s artistic training, it is clear he took early inspiration from Ambrosius Bosschaert, whose work he likely encountered during his childhood in Middleburg. He returned to his native Antwerp by 1608, when he is first listed as a Master in the Guild of Saint Luke. He formed a successful workshop specializing in still life painting and drawing new inspirations from his contemporaries including Jan Brughel the Elder, Hieronymous Francken II, and above all, Osias Beert. Despite his long career, spanning nearly forty years, fewer than one hundred still lives by Hulsdonck are known, perhaps due to the time he took over each composition, meticulously rendering the surface textures and fine details of each individual element.

The composition of the present painting is typical of Hulsdonck's style, composed of a single bowl of fruit at center, positioned on a partially draped wooden table, with additional still life elements surrounding it. Here the artist takes great pleasure in the depiction of the delicate petals of the variegated carnation, seeds of the wild strawberries, translucent skins of the stone-fruits, and reflections of light in droplets of water. A bluebottle fly, a symbol of the fleetingness of life, often appears in Hulsdonck's oeuvre.

We are grateful to Fred G. Meijer for supporting the present attribution on the basis of photographs (written communication 12 July 2023).