Adriaen Coorte

Little is known about the still-life painter Adriaen Coorte (c. 1665–1707/10). He worked in Middelburg, where he is recorded as a member of the St Luke's Guild. Coorte's favourite subjects were still lifes with gooseberries, asparagus or shells. Although some of his compositions were complex, his strength lay in the simple depiction of a single, brilliantly lit object against a dark background. Coorte developed his subjects in detail and was able to make elegant use of light in his compositions. Many of Coorte's still lifes are painted on paper pasted onto panel, a rather unusual method in the seventeenth century.