Breakfast Piece

Circle of Pieter Claesz
In the 1600s, ham, bread, and white wine were often eaten at breakfast as well as at lunch. The use of simple pewter indicates that this is an everyday meal. The angle at which we view the composition encourages us to think that the scene is an extension of our own space and that we are seated close by, while the dish balanced precariously on the table's edge engages our attention by making us think that it might fall! Pieter Claesz. and his followers developed this popular subject during the 1630's and 1640's.