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Still-life became an extremely important and much-painted genre in 17th-century Holland, and numerous different ways of interpreting the subject developed, amongst them some with a moralizing intention and representing a reflection upon life and its pleasures. Heda was one of the best painters of still-lifes of serving tables and food, to which he gives a monumental feel and at the same time a certain compositional restraint, which suggests to us that we should apply a similar restraint towards our consumption of the food.
Heda's style is characterized by its use of a monochromatic palette of green, grey and silvery tones. His compositions are balanced and never overcrowded, depicting a tabletop on which various items of food, objects and luxurious vessels are casually but carefully arranged. Pewter (a metal used for jugs and plates), silver and glass were the materials most painted by the artist.
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