During 2022, art historian and curator Cynthia Osiecki made a significant discovery in an Oslo museum storeroom. She came across an unattributed still-life painting and had a strong hunch about its creator, Clara Peeters.
Osiecki’s interest in purchasing a work by Peeters led her to believe this painting might be a lost masterpiece by the pioneering 17th-century Flemish Baroque artist.
Uncovering this potential gem within the museum’s storage was a stroke of luck for Osiecki. She expressed astonishment at the possibility of having a Clara Peeters painting unnoticed right under their noses while actively seeking women artists in the art market.
Despite Peeters’ remarkable contributions, she remains relatively obscure in the public eye, a common fate for many female artists of her time, according to Osiecki.
The National Museum of Norway aims to shed light on historic female artists by showcasing the “Woman Painter” exhibition in Oslo starting on Oct. 8. The exhibit will highlight works by 19 female artists who were active in northern Europe and Italy between 1550 and 1650, including Peeters along with Judith Leyster, Lavinia Fontana, and Artemisia Gentileschi.
Thorough Process of Attributing the Painting
The painting discovered by Osiecki, titled Still Life with Small Game and Grapes on a Gilded Tazza, was previously thought to be attributed to Ambrosius Brueghel, a notable artist from Antwerp, Belgium. After being reclassified as “anonymous,” it ended up in storage.
Reassigning the painting to Peeters was a meticulous process that spanned several years, as described by Osiecki.
Peeters’ distinctive style of embedding self-portraits in everyday objects was a key identifying factor. The Oslo painting, featuring dead birds, hazelnuts, apricots, and prominent grapes, had elements characteristic of Peeters’ work.
Despite challenges like woodworm damage obscuring potential signatures, Osiecki and her team persisted in their analysis. Through careful study and comparison of Peeters’ oeuvre and that of her contemporaries, the attribution to Peeters was confirmed.
The painting is now set to be a focal point of the upcoming exhibition.
Nora Ceciliedatter, director at the National Museum of Norway, emphasized that the “Woman Painter” exhibit is part of a broader initiative to highlight underrepresented artistic careers and perspectives.
Osiecki views the journey of this painting back to Peeters as a reminder of the ongoing effort needed to unveil overlooked female artists and rectify misattributions.
She underscored the importance of continued research into female artists to reveal more hidden gems within the art world