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JOSEPH STÖBER, AFTER JAN DAVIDSZ. DE HEEM

ALLEGORY OF THE EUCHARIST IN A GARLAND OF FLOWERS AND FRUITS

JOSEPH STÖBER
1768 – 1852

Etching with engraving on paper, signed: J. D. de Heem pinx. / Jos. Stöber sc.
35.5 × 28.5 cm / 14 × 11.2 in; framed: 57 × 48 cm / 22.4 × 18.9 in

PROVENANCE: Private collection, Vienna

This refined print, executed by Austrian artist Joseph Stöber (1768–1852), is a precise graphic reproduction of one of the most symbolically charged compositions by Jan Davidsz. de Heem, the celebrated master of Dutch Baroque still life. At its center, we see a radiant Eucharistic chalice placed in an architectural niche and surrounded by a lush garland of fruits, flowers, and foliage — a baroque wreath where visual abundance meets theological meaning.

The composition belongs to the type known as pronkstilleven — "sumptuous still life" — where natural forms acquire a ritual and symbolic resonance. Grapes, pomegranates, wheat, bread, and tulips allude to the Passion of Christ, the sacrament of Communion, the Virgin Mary, and the sacrifice of the Lamb.

Stöber masterfully captures the richness of textures: the sheet comes to life through the delicacy of the engraving, with leaves, grapes, and fruit rendered in almost tactile detail. While preserving de Heem’s original structure and symbolism, the use of black-and-white enhances the trompe-l’œil effect, creating a striking graphic illusionism.

The renewed attention to such imagery in the 19th century is explained not only by the lasting popularity of de Heem but also by the reinterpretation of his visual language in different cultural contexts. The Polish art historian Antoni Ziemba, renowned for his in-depth research on iconography and viewer perception in Dutch art — especially in his work I. Między opisem a iluzją rzeczywistości. Wprowadzenie do sztuki holenderskiej (Between Description and the Illusion of Reality: An Introduction to Dutch Art) — points out that these floral and fruit garlands, originally rooted in the Catholic tradition of the Southern Netherlands, could, in the Protestant North, take on new meaning: not only preserving their sacred character but also transforming into a kind of ironic exaltation of the everyday, or a "sacralized realism."

The work is presented in an elegant 20th-century gilded frame with a wide mat, emphasizing its ceremonial character and making it a distinguished piece fit for both private and institutional collections.

Base: Paper

Epoque: XIX century

Epoque: XVII century

Genre: Still life

Genre: Allegory

School: Austrian

School: Dutch

School: Flemish

Technic: Engraving