Natureza Morta com uma Jarra de Grés, um Copo de Cerveja, Cartas de Jogar e Utensílios para Fumar (A Still Life with a Stoneware Jug, a Glass of Beer, Playing Cards and Smokers’ Requisites) - Jan Fris

Natureza Morta com uma Jarra de Grés, um Copo de Cerveja, Cartas de Jogar e Utensílios para Fumar (A Still Life with a Stoneware Jug, a Glass of Beer, Playing Cards and Smokers’ Requisites) - Jan Fris

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Óleo sobre painel - 49x42 - 1665

Toebackjes, or so-called tobacco still lifes, gained popularity in the Dutch Republic from the 1620s onward and compositions such as this make up the majority of Jan Fris's oeuvre. The earliest signed example by the rare Amsterdam artist, recorded with Nystad, Paris in 1960, dates to 1647 and he returned to the subject repeatedly throughout his career. The artist’s toebackjes are characterized by a restrained, monochrome palette, subtly punctuated by the crisp white of the pipe and papers. His attention to the variance of surfaces and textures of the objects present a complex and engaging composition even within the parameters of the muted color scheme.
A number of the objects used in the present still life, including the clay pipes, earthenware jug, beer glass, and broken brazier, can be found in other paintings by Fris and were likely studio props. The style of the long clay pipe is known as a Goudse pijp, referring to the city of Gouda where they were traditionally manufactured; the brazier, which would be datable to circa 1640, is specifically associated with this type of pipe. The earthenware jug, which would date from around the same time as the brazier, bears the three X's of the Amsterdam coat of arms, though it was manufactured in Germany; there are at least three other known paintings by Fris which feature the same vessel including one which was formerly in the Weldon collection.
The tall cylindrical glass, with its distinctive spiral decoration, is called a pasglas and was used in drinking games. The glass would have been filled with beer and passed around the group; each person would have to drink down to the next ring in a single gulp. Those failing to hit the mark had to drink a further measure. These types of glasses are commonly depicted in paintings of rowdy tavern scenes. While the present still life appears to be a simple allegory of leisure and humble recreation, the artist's inclusion of a deck of playing cards, coupled with the tobacco and tall glass, could be viewed as a warning against the vices of gambling, smoking and drinking.