An overlooked painting by Clara Peeters was recently discovered hiding in plain sight in a museum’s storage room, as art historian Cynthia Osiecki stumbled upon the unattributed still-life artwork in an Oslo museum in 2022. Osiecki, who had been researching the pioneering 17th-century Flemish Baroque artist, suspected the painting could be a lost work by Peeters. The piece, titled “Still Life with Small Game and Grapes on a Gilded Tazza,” was initially believed to be by Ambrosius Brueghel but later reclassified as anonymous and stored away.
Peeters, known for embedding her likeness into objects in her paintings, used subtle self-portraits in her works to assert her professional identity in a male-dominated art world. The Oslo painting features nine dead birds, hazelnuts, apricots, and an intriguing reflection in the grapes. Osiecki’s meticulous research, comparing details and styles with Peeters’ known works, confirmed the painting’s true attribution to Peeters despite challenges like woodworm damage obscuring potential signatures.
The National Museum of Norway is highlighting historic female artists in an upcoming exhibition called “Woman Painter,” showcasing works by notable artists like Judith Leyster and Lavinia Fontana, alongside Clara Peeters. Osiecki’s discovery underscores the ongoing need to uncover and recognize overlooked female artists whose contributions have often been misattributed or forgotten, emphasizing the importance of dedicated research efforts in revealing hidden artistic legacies.
