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After the Reformation, a new Protestant society emerged in the northern Netherlands. Since the Protestant church forbade devotional religious imagery, artists could no longer depend on traditional patronage. Consequently, Dutch painters developed their own standards for appropriate subject matter. Still life became a subject in its own right, and private collectors became the artists' main source of support. Middle-class citizens wanted paintings with no embellishments--landscapes, portraits, and objects used in everyday life.

Samuel van Hoogstraten, who was born in Dordrecht, moved in 1642 to Amsterdam, where he became a student of Rembrandt. This painting reflects the seventeenth-century interest in written communication and education. Notice the objects that refer to the act of writing: the feather quill pen, letter opener, sealing wax, powder shaker used to set ink, and the sheets of paper. The books, magazines, and glasses refer not only to written language, but also to the importance of thought and learning. This subject matter points to the development of learning and reason that would culminate in the Age of Enlightenment in the eighteenth century.

The use of extremely realistic imagery also gained popularity in seventeenth-century Dutch painting. Look at the true-to-life size and dimensions of the objects depicted in van Hoogstraten's still life. In this work he demonstrates his mastery of the trompe l'oeil ("fool the eye") technique. In addition to still life, van Hoogstraten painted landscapes, historical works, and genre paintings.

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