De Heem is best known for his elaborate still lifes — so-called pronkstilleven — which depict lavish displays of fruit, flowers, fine glassware, musical instruments and precious objects, often symbolising the transience of earthly pleasures. His keen observational skill, paired with an exquisite sensitivity to texture and light, elevated the still life genre to new heights. He imbued his scenes with subtle moral and allegorical undertones, reflecting both the pleasures and the vanities of material wealth.
Working primarily in Antwerp from the 1630s onwards, de Heem was heavily influenced by the vibrant Flemish artistic milieu, including the work of Daniel Seghers and Frans Snyders. However, his style remained distinct, marked by a masterful control of colour and composition and a delicacy of touch that distinguished his flower pieces and banquet scenes alike.
His reputation attracted numerous commissions from civic and noble patrons, and his workshop produced a number of pupils and followers, including his son, Cornelis de Heem. His works were widely collected and imitated, exerting a strong influence on subsequent generations of still life painters across Europe.
Today, de Heem’s works are held in many of the world’s most prestigious collections, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and the Louvre in Paris.
Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1684 Antwerp)
A banquet still life
Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1684 Antwerp)
Flowers in a glass vase on a draped table, with a silver tazza, fruit, insects and birds
JAN DAVIDSZ. DE HEEM (UTRECHT 1606-1684 ANTWERP)
A banquet still life
Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1684 Antwerp)
Tulips, a sunflower, an iris, hydrangeas, honeysuckle, willow catkins, carnations and other flowers in a glass vase on a marble pediment
Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1684 Antwerp)
A tulip, roses, apple blossoms, cornflowers and other flowers in a glass vase on a stone ledge, with a pipe, taper, oysters and an orange, with a butterfly
Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1684 Antwerp)
A conch shell, a cut and partly-peeled lemon on a silver platter, a broken pomegranate, shrimps, oysters, a wine-filled roemer , fruit and other objects on a partly-draped wooden table before a draped window casement, an extensive landscape beyond
Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1684 Antwerp)
A tulip, roses, apple blossoms, cornflowers and other flowers in a glass vase on a stone ledge, with a pipe, taper, oysters and an orange, with a butterfly
Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1684 Antwerp)
Grapes and apples in a Wan-li dish with oysters on a stone ledge
JAN DAVIDSZ. DE HEEM (UTRECHT 1606-1684 ANTWERP)
A pewter flagon with a small roemer hanging from its spout and a Chinese Wan-li dish with fruit on a high stone ledge, a heap of pears, apples, plums, grapes and citrus fruit on a parallel low stone ledge
Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1683 Antwerp)
A Façon-de-Venise wine glass, a glass of beer, cherries, a bread roll, an apricot, a clay pipe and a crayfish on a pewter plate, with grapes, oysters and kindling on a partially draped wooden table
Circle of Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1684 Antwerp)
A Dutch Delft blue and white porcelain bowl, a sliced herring with spring onions on a pewter plate with bread, cherries, a knife and a rose, a lobster on a pewter plate in a basket, a lily, a rose, buttercups and other flowers in a pewter vase with a lemon and two façon de Venise wine glasses on a partly-draped table
Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1684/5 Antwerp)
A barn interior with baskets, barrels, pottery, a pump to the right and a bundle of dried laice hanging on a wall partition to the left
Circle of Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1683/4 Antwerp)
A lobster, a crab, an oyster, a pewter pitcher and various fruits on a draped table
Circle of Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1683/4 Antwerp)
A porcelain bowl with grapes, peaches and lemons together with a wicker basket with bread, a glass, lobster, ham and various other objects all on a partially draped table
Circle of Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1638 Antwerp)
A peeled lemon, an orange, peaches, white grapes and cherries near glassware on a partially draped table
Follower of Jan Davidsz de Heem
A peeled lemon, a Venetian glass, a clementine, blue and white grapes, lemons, oysters on a pewter plate, and a jug, all on a partially draped table
Follower of Jan Davidsz. de Heem
A pie on a pewter platter, a silver beaker, a tankard, a pitcher, a lobster, a partly peeled lemon, peaches, grapes, cherries, a pomegranite, and a porcelain bowl of strawberries on a partly draped table, a landscape beyond
SUIVEUR DE JAN DAVIDSZ. DE HEEM
Fruits, crevettes et coupe sur un entablement
Manner of Jan Davidsz de Heem, 20th Century
Summer blooms in a glass vase on a stone ledge
Manner of Jan Davidsz. de Heem
A bread roll and a plum on a silver plate, with grapes, peaches, a pear, and a glass roemer, on a draped table
JAN DAVIDSZ. DE HEEM (UTRECHT 1606-1684 ANTWERP)
Fruit on a silver platter with lobsters on a partially draped table
JAN DAVIDSZ. DE HEEM (UTRECHT 1606-1684 ANTWERP)
Cantaloupe, peaches, grapes, plums and other fruit and vegetables with insects on a forest floor