Lot 41: Willem van Odekercken Nijmegen circa 1610 - 1677 , A lady cleaning fish, standing at a table with a copper bowl with apples, copper pans and a small dish with herbs oil on panel

oil on panel

measurements note 84.5 by 113 cm.

Willem van Odekercken, who was active in The Hague, and from 1643 in Delft, is known for both his genre pieces and still-life paintings. Many of his compositions, like this painting, are formed by one main figure - often a kitchen-maid - doing domestic chores such as cooking, cleaning or spinning. His best compositions are noted for their counterplay of light and dark. The detailed rendering of crockery, pots and pans closely approach his best still-life paintings. A particularly interesting object is the well painted detailed silver bucket with the decorative brim, which relates to a kitchen still life sold in these Rooms, 8 May 2007, lot 91, which had an old attribution to Willem van Odekercken, but was rightfully deattributed by Fred G. Meijer.