Still life with pewter jug, roemer and nuts on a table

About this work

It is 1996, the painter is in his prime. In these years, it was barely possible to acquire a Helmantel; waiting times for anyone granted a work were a minimum of 1.5 years. Visitor numbers for the museum sometimes strained the small village of Westeremden. Anyone looking at the work "Still life with pewter jug, roemer and nuts on a table" can see that, more than 25 years later, the varnish layer still needs to be applied. It is as if the work, barely dry, was pulled from the painter's hands by the new owner. The work still needs to be photographed and documented. The work, however, breathes only tranquility. We are looking at a classic Helmantel. The pewter jug in the background provides depth. The eye, however, is immediately drawn to the beautifully executed glassware. Not without reason, for of all his talent, Henk Helmantel shows his absolute mastery in painting glass.