The fish and crustaceans depicted are products from the regional waters of the southern Netherlands, where Clara Peeters lived, which were also offered alive at the weekly markets, with the result that the artist was able to study them close to their natural state. The composition takes up elements that Clara Peeters also used in what is probably the earliest dated fish still life in art history from 1611 in the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid (oil on panel, 50 × 72 cm, signed and dated 1611, inv. no. P1621), namely the crossed fish in the foreground, the metal strainer and the ladle as well as the earthenware bowl and the prawns. The reflections of the ladle on the metal strainer, which are clearly visible in our still life, show Peeters’ predilection for depicting reflected light and the distinct materiality of the individual elements. These reflections can also be found in her fish still life in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (oil on panel, 37.7 × 9.9 cm, signed, inv. no. 834). The transparency of the prawn shells, which are probably cooked judging by their red colour, can also be seen there. These are stylistically very similar to the depiction of the crustaceans in the still life offered here. Little is known about Clara Peeters' life and artistic training. Accordingly, the chronological classification of her works is based on stylistic characteristics; some of the wooden panels bear the brand of the city of Antwerp, which suggests that she worked there. Whether she was a member of the Guild of St Luke is not documented. But as Pamela Hibbs Decoteau notes, the lists for the period 1607 – 1628 are also incomplete (ibid. p. 9). Peeters specialised in still life painting and is considered a pioneer of several specific genres. For example, she made her mark on hunting still lifes, such as the one with the falcon and other birds, which was auctioned at Koller in September 2024, or the fish still life from around 1610 now offered here. Dated works from her known œuvre range from 1607–1609 to 1621. A total of 39 signed works by the artist are known, but the total oeuvre proves to be far more extensive – see also the lists of autograph works in the RKD, The Hague and in the literature (Hibbs Decoteau, pp. 178–182; Adriaan van der Willigen and Fred G. Meijer: A Dictionary of Dutch and Flemish Still-life Painters Working in Oils, 1525–1725, Leiden 2003, pp. 158–159; exh. cat. The Art of Clara Peeters, ed. by Alejandro Vergara, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, 2016, p. 14).