Still Life with Shells

Still Life with Shells depicts a dark tabletop arrangement of shells and a red coral nestled in a shallow vessel, with a blue cloth visible at the lower left. Light from the left creates bright highlights on the glossy shells and deep shadows in the background, giving the composition a strong sense of depth and tactile surface. The painting exemplifies the Dutch 17th‑century still‑life style, with meticulous renderings of varied textures and a restrained palette of browns, ivory, and subtle reds.