Willem Kalf
Dessert
From $100
This painting is a few gleaming treasures in deep shadow, and a cheap copy sinks into murky brown. Our Kalf Pronk Still Life print was graded from a high-resolution master so the gold, pearl and porcelain still glow.
Canvas, framed or paper
Stretched canvas. Printed on cotton canvas and stretched taut over a frame. The edges are mirror-wrapped, so the picture continues around the sides and none of it is lost to the fold.
Framed canvas. The same canvas, set in a black, white, natural wood or dark wood frame 0.83 in deep. The frame gives the work a finished edge and a little more presence on the wall.
Framed print. Printed on fine art matte paper and framed in solid pine, behind shatterproof plexiglass, in black, white, natural wood or dark wood. It arrives ready to hang. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame.
Fine art print. Printed on 310gsm fine art matte paper, for framing your own way. It travels rolled and protected. From 18x24 inch.
Sizes
16x20 inch, 24x30 inch, 32x40 inch. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.
On your wall
Its tall shape suits a study, a hallway or a living room wall. The golds, blues and deep browns look rich with cream, slate and walnut, and a black or gold frame suits it.
About the painting
Pronk Still Life with Holbein Bowl and Nautilus Cup by Willem Kalf
A show of treasures
Willem Kalf, a Rotterdam merchant’s son who worked in Paris, made the Dutch “pronk” or show-off still life his own: a few precious things glowing out of the dark.
Henry VIII’s bowl
At the centre stands a crystal bowl in a gold mount, the so-called Holbein bowl, owned by Henry VIII and the English crown until 1649. The foot is inscribed “Holbeen”.
The watch and the key
Beside it: a nautilus shell cup, a Chinese porcelain dish of fruit and a pocket watch, its key on a blue cord, a hint that time runs out. Copenhagen has owned it since 1810.
Read the story
Out of a deep darkness, a few treasures catch the light. A great shell cup, its mother-of-pearl gleaming. A blue and white Chinese dish of apricots and peaches. And at the centre, a bowl of clear rock crystal, set in gold.
Willem Kalf painted this in Amsterdam in 1678, when he was nearly sixty. The son of a rich Rotterdam merchant, he had worked in Paris as a young man. In Amsterdam he made a new kind of picture his own: the pronk still life, the show-off still life, a few precious things glowing out of the shadows.
And this bowl was very precious indeed. It is known as the Holbein bowl, and it belonged to King Henry the Eighth of England. It stayed with the English crown until 1649. Kalf may have seen it for sale in Amsterdam. Look at its foot: he even painted the name Holbein on it.
Between the bowls lies a pocket watch, its crystal lid open and its key hanging on a blue cord. Perhaps it is a quiet reminder that all this wealth will not last.
The painting came to Denmark in 1784, and has belonged to the Danish national collection since 1810.
Pronk Still Life. Willem Kalf, 1678.
How each piece is brought to life
Faithful to the original, and made to be felt on your wall.
Graded against the original
We compare every work with the original as we grade it, keeping the artist’s colours true while bringing back their depth and glow. Every mark stays the artist’s own.
Printed for you
Printed to order on cotton canvas or fine art paper, then framed if you chose a frame, in 1 to 3 business days.
On your wall
It arrives 5 to 12 business days later, tracked and free anywhere in the US. Framed pieces come ready to hang.
Questions
Is this the original painting?
No. The original hangs in a museum. What you receive is a fine art reproduction, remastered from the original and printed for you, with every mark where the artist left it.
Will the colour look flat?
This is where most reproductions disappoint, and it is where we spend the most time. Each work is graded side by side with the original: faithful to the artist’s colours, with the depth and warmth brought back, so it moves you on the wall the way it was meant to. Canvas reads a touch softer than a backlit screen, and every screen shows colour a little differently.
Will the edges be cropped?
Each size is a standard frame size, so we fit the painting by trimming a little from its edges. We never stretch or squash it, and we check every size by eye so no face, figure or signature is cut. On canvas the edges are mirror-wrapped, which keeps the whole picture on the front.
Which size is right for my wall?
Aim for about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. Over a sofa or a sideboard, one of the two largest sizes will hold the wall. The size guide lists every size in inches and centimetres, with the kind of wall each one suits.
How long does it take?
Your piece is printed in 1–3 business days, then spends 5–12 business days in transit, tracked all the way. Delivery is free anywhere in the US. We are unable to deliver to PO boxes.
What if it arrives damaged?
Send us a photograph and we will remake it and send it again. There is nothing to return.
Can I return it?
Yes, within 30 days of delivery. Our returns policy has the details.
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Printed to order
Graded against the original, then printed for you on cotton canvas or fine art paper in 1–3 business days.
The whole painting
Every mark is the artist’s own, and canvas edges are mirror-wrapped so the whole picture stays on the front.
Free US shipping
On every order, tracked, 5–12 business days in transit.
30-day returns
Returns and exchanges within 30 days of delivery.
