Holiday Window: Dutch Masters

Happy New Year everyone!  As most of us do around this time, I am both looking back over the past year and looking forward to the new one, both taking inventory and making plans. But before we entirely turn the page, I wanted to share our holiday window at the shop, and talk a little about the inspiration for it.

For me, more than anything else, the holiday season is about creating and feeling warmth, and gathering with family and friends to share meals and celebrate the season.  I wanted something for our window that spoke to this aspect of the holidays without hitting people over the head with holiday themed chachkies and bric-a-brac.  So instead, we sought to recreate the mood of baroque still-life paintings by Dutch masters of the 17th century. This piece by Willem van Aelst, one of the most prominent still-life painters of his generation, is the epitome of the an opulent holiday table, and was the jumping off point for our studio display. 

Willem van Aelst (Dutch, 1627-1683): Still-Life with Fruit and Crystal Vase 1652 Oil on canvas

The success of these paintings in my mind is the drama the artists create by contrasting dark and light, and utilizing extreme pigment saturation.  Over the past few months we have been meticulously collecting elements to create our spin on the Dutch still-lifes. With an antique side table as our anchor and a bespoke painting by Joan Bonetti as the dark back drop, we featured our gorgeous Busatti linen table cloth and a collection of antique pewter candle holders with dramatically long tapers.  The piece de resistance was the gorgeous collection of stone persimmons.  I just love how the deep, rich pigments draw you into the window and make you feel a part of the still-life.

Wishing you all a beautiful and warm New Year!