Thursday Challenge #2 - Bottles. Are you sure?

Thursday Challenge Theme: "BOTTLES" (Containers, Cup, Mug, Vase, Beverage, Cosmetic, Ornamental...)

I think I'm skirting the rules of the challenge on this one, but I hope I can be forgiven for it. :mrgreen: I love this painting, and I thought this week's challenge is a good opportunity to share it with you all.

This is a picture of a painting I took at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 2005. I remember being mesmerized by the sheer details in this painting. The illusion was so realistic I was tempted to reach out and touch the objects to make sure they were not real, cliché as that may sound. :D

From the plaque beside the painting:

Still life with gilt goblet
WILLEM CLAESZ HEDA
oil on panel, 1635

For forty years, Willem Heda painted nothing but still lifes. his work distinguishes itself from the still lifes of his contemporaries: the colors are softer, cooler and more harmonious. A strip of bright yellow lemon peel is the single accent. Here Heda shows himself to be a master in the portrayal of gleaming surfaces and the reflection of light: each object on the table reflects another.

Also, from The Masterpieces Guide:

WILLEM CLAESZ HEDA, 1594-1680

This looks like the remains of a banquet, but it is in fact a carefully considered composition. Heda has arranged the objects so that he can give the best possible demonstration of his skill. This is why the drinking vessel is lying on its side, so that both the dull silver under the foot and the gleaming exterior can be seen. It is an absolute tour de force. Because the objects are depicted one behind the other rather than being seen from above, the composition looks more natural than that of its predecessors. The sublime rendition of materials and reflections adds to this effect.

...Putting the plate on the edge of the table serves to suggest depth.

“A photograph is usually looked at—seldom looked into”
~Ansel Adams

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