1620 - 1668

Quick facts

  • Top 3 works:
    • Vanitas Still Life
    • Sculpted cartouche adorned with flowers surrounding a chalice with a host
    • Flower garland around a monstrance
  • Nationality: Belgium
  • Copyright status: Public domain
  • Typical colors: earthy
  • Color intensity: monochromatic
  • Also known as:
    • Pieter van Kessel
    • T. V. Kessell
    • P. Cassels
    • P. van Kessel
    • T.V. Kessell
  • Top-ranked work: Vanitas Still Life

The Life and Travels of Peter van Kessel

Peter van Kessel was a Flemish still life painter who likely began his career in Antwerp. While his exact training remains a subject of historical inquiry, he was active in Germany by 1658, appearing in records in Würzburg and Bamberg. His professional journey took him across Northern Europe, including a period in Gdańsk. In 1668, while traveling to work at the court in Copenhagen, he stayed in Lübeck, where he worked in the workshop of Burchard Wulff and later practiced independently under the dean of the local painter's guild, Hans Götjens. His travels eventually led him to the Danish court, and he died in Ratzeburg in early October 1668.

Artistic Specializations and Themes

As a specialist in still life, van Kessel mastered several sub-genres, including:

  • Flower pieces
  • Fruit still lifes
  • Vanitas paintings
  • Garland paintings
  • Hunting pieces
  • Game pieces
  • His flower paintings often featured compositions such as flowers in a glass vase set within a stone gray niche. In these works, elements like roses, tulips, carnations, and marigolds are depicted, sometimes accompanied by a stag beetle. His garland paintings typically involved a collaboration where he painted fruit or flower garlands surrounding a central figure or portrait. Additionally, his vanitas still lifes utilized symbolic objects to reflect on the transient nature of life, such as:

    • Skulls
    • Dice
    • Wine glasses
    • Sheet music and violins
    • Wilting flowers
    • Hourglasses
    • Extinguished candles

Kysymykset ja vastaukset

Mitkä Peter van Kessel teokset ovat katsotuimpia?

Peter van Kessel'n Tilastot -sivu esittää tilastoja, jotka on laskettu tämä sivusto-sivustolla listattujen taiteilijan teosten perusteella.

Missä kaupungissa ja maassa Peter van Kessel on syntynyt?

Peter van Kessel on syntynyt Antwerp, Belgium.

Voinko tutkia Peter van Kessel's värinkäyttöä kaikissa teoksissa?

Peter van Kessel teosten väriprofiili on nähtävissä taiteilijan Paletin sielunmaisema -sivulla.

Missä ja minä vuonna Peter van Kessel on syntynyt?

Peter van Kessel syntyi Antwerpssä vuonna 1620.

Quick quiz

Jokaisessa kysymyksessä on vain yksi oikea vastaus.

Kysymys 1:
In which city was Peter van Kessel likely born?
Kysymys 2:
Which city did van Kessel visit in 1668 while on his way to Copenhagen?
Kysymys 3:
What was the profession of the man who paid van Kessel's bail in Lübeck?
Kysymys 4:
According to the text, what type of paintings were typically collaborations between a still life painter and a figure painter?
Kysymys 5:
Where did Peter van Kessel die in early October 1668?