Still Life with Stoneware Jug and Pipe

Jan Jansz van de Velde III

National Gallery of Art

An ivory-white, lidded jug, a long, white clay pipe, an open paper packet of tobacco, and a burning ember in a clay pot are clustered together at the front corner of a wooden table in this vertical still life painting. Against a deep, sage-green background, the table extends off the left edge, and the front corner almost brushes the right edge of the composition. The objects are lit from our left, and the area beneath the tabletop is cast into deep shadow. To our left, the stoneware jug has a flaring foot, a round body, a handle next to its tall, ridged neck, and the narrow opening is covered with a metal cap. The jug has an olive-green band around the base and an oval of the same color on its body, enclosing a coat of arms. The crest has three, stacked Xes, and the date 1650 at the top. The cupped, metal lid is affixed to the top of the jug’s handle so it can be flipped up with a thumbpiece. The long, white pipe lies along the front edge of the table with its bowl tipped toward us. A knot of burning ash appears to have knocked out of the bowl. Behind the pipe is a folded, rumpled piece of paper holding nibs of dark brown, dried tobacco. More tobacco is scattered around the pipe, along with the ends of broken pipes, which resemble sticks of white chalk. A terracotta-brown dish holds a burning ember at the back of the table. The artist signed the work as if he had inscribed the front edge of the table with cursive letters, “Jan van de Velde fecit.”