David Rijckaert II

After the restrictions on Protestants became tighter, his parents reconverted to Catholicism and had David baptized in the Antwerp Cathedral following Catholic rites on 9 August 1589.

[1] Nevertheless, he must have enjoyed a good reputation among fellow artists as the young Peter Paul Rubens collaborated with him on the Sleeping Silenus (circa 1611, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna).

[8] David Rijckaert II remains to date a relatively mysterious and obscure artist since art historians are still in the process of putting together his œuvre from a few signed works.

As his style is close to that of the leading Antwerp still life painters Osias Beert and Jacob Foppens van Es, some of his works were previously attributed to these two artists.

[10] This is for instance the case with the Still life with lobster at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, formerly attributed to Osias Beert and the Still life with oysters, fruit, biscuits and ornamental tableware in the Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent, formerly attributed to Osias Beert and Jacob Foppens van Es.

[11][12] The known works of David Rijckaert II fall into two categories: sumptuous still lifes of porcelain, expensive glassware, silverware, pewter dishes, etc.

[13] His works follow the stylistic characteristics of the earliest still life painters Osias Beert (c. 1580–late 1624), Georg Flegel (1566–1638) and Clara Peeters (?1589–1657) in their chromatic palette, sharply illuminated foreground and meticulous, realistic rendering of the objects depicted.

By juxtaposing food, dishes and precious objects within various planes in space David Rijckaert II is able to increase their legibility.

The frontal and distributive presentation is still archaic while his attention for detail and strong realism show his adherence to the Flemish tradition.