born 1597, Burgsteinfurt, Bishopric of Münster 【now Steinfurt, Ger.】—buried Jan. 1, 1661, Haarlem, Neth.

Dutch painter who achieved a striking simplicity and atmospheric quality in still-life representations. Avoiding the crowded compositions and strong local colouring of the Mannerist tradition, he concentrated on the monochrome “breakfast piece,” the depiction of a simple meal set near the corner of a table. The play of light on the characteristic objects—a glass of wine, a knife, a metal plate with fish or bread, and a bowl of berries—creates a rich effect while preserving the solidity of the forms. His Still Life with a Burning Candle (1627) and the Breakfast Still Life (1647) show a subtle variation of closely related monochrome colours, which in his later, more Baroque work became stronger. Claesz's increasingly decorative work after 1640 includes lavish still-life displays. His son, Claes Pieterszoon Berchem, was a famous landscape painter.