They fascinate us today just as they did 500 years ago: artistic arrangements of exotic fruits, as well as ordinary dishes, exquisite floral arrangements or cautionary skulls, lavishly adorned musical instruments, and scientific apparatuses. These deceptively realistic objects testify to wealth and sensual pleasure, to Enlightenment curiosity as well as religious reverence in the Baroque era.

This richly illustrated book, enhanced by a picture glossary, showcases the world-renowned collection of still lifes from the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden. Through unique masterpieces of Dutch and Flemish painting, the genre is explored in all its facets, deciphering encrypted messages, allegories, and symbols. More than 70 paintings by artists such as Cornelis de Heem, Abraham Mignon, Rachel Ruysch, Frans Snijders, and Adriaen van Utrecht provide a unique insight into the heyday of this magical genre.