Clara Peeters

When the Baroque era was at its height, Clara Peeters (ca. 1587 - after 1637) was taking still life to the next level. Even at that time, this pioneer among the Flemish Masters was already gaining worldwide appreciation. A contemporary of Rubens, you can discover her work in her home city of Antwerp.

The Still-Life Queen

In the 17th century, the Baroque was at its height in Antwerp. Prominent figures, such as Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck,were the exponents of that opulent period, but Clara Peeters, the Still-Life Queen, also belongs in that list. She lived and worked in Antwerp and was probably an apprentice of Osias Beert, a well-known still-life painter.

But Clara Peeters was much more than that. She very quickly became a pioneer in the development of still life as a genre. She brought everyday objects to life like no other. She started out cautiously by creating small, detailed scenes of food and drink and those works already displayed her tremendous skill. Sometime later, her still lifes evolved into more lavish compositions with valuable objects such as decorated metal cups, gold coins and exotic flowers.

Later on in her career, she painted elaborate banquet scenes with colourful bouquets of flowers, soft bread, slippery fish, gleaming porcelain and reflective glass. A feature that was very typical of Clara Peeters’ work is that she often adds a miniature self-portrait to the picture, for example in the reflection of a jug.

Clara Peeters, Stilleven met vis, inv.nr. 834, foto Hugo Maertens, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen - Collectie V_© Fille Roelants

International appreciation

From Paris to London, Hamburg to Brussels. After her death, Peeters’ work found its way across Europe. By then, her still life works already formed part of Antwerp’s thriving export economy of paintings.

Clara Peeters - detail Bloemen in een vaasje met knabbelende muis - collectie Museum Mayer van den Bergh_© Ans Brys

Clara Peeters – detail of Flowers in a Vase with a Nibbling Mouse

Clara Peeters in Flanders

Around forty works by Clara Peeters are known to exist today. Her works can be found all over the world, but Antwerp is where you can get to know her best.

At the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (KMSKA), you can admire her masterpiece Still Life with Fish. Flemish masterpieces enjoy worldwide fame, but they also find their way back home to Flanders. ‘Still Life with Fish,’ for example, is currently travelling around the world as part of an exhibition about women artists. but will be returning to KMSKA in June 2026.

Museum Mayer van den Bergh, also in Antwerp, also has two magnificent pieces on display: Flowers in a Vase with Nibbling Mouse and Flowers in a Vase with Grasshopper and Frog. The museum is currently closed for extensive renovations and will reopen in 2029. Both works can be seen in the exhibiton Beloved. An intimate look at masterpieces at Maagdenhuis until September 2028.