(Altona 1630–1688 Hamburg) A splendid still life, oil on canvas, 90 x 70 cm, framed,

Johann Georg Hinz is one of very few German still life painters of European significance. This painting follows a compositional format which Hinz often used: a carpet, or, as here, a shimmering velvet material is spread out on a slab. On the right-hand half of the painting there is a large Chinese bowl filled with fruits which has tipped over towards the left. In the centre of the painting Hinz normally positioned a tall object, which dominated the image. In this case it is a magnificent goblet with elaborate ivory carvings. He often used this format after 1660, so that it is difficult to date his work after this point. As is visible in this painting, Hinz had a predilection for luxurious objects. The Chinese bowl from the Kangxi period was as much a luxurious object as was the ivory goblet, which is similar to the work of the ivory carver, Joachim Henne (1663–1707). Henne's works were also to be found in the royal Danish collection at Schloss Rosenborg and Schloss Charlottenburg in Berlin, where they were then on show together with paintings in the royal Kunstkammer. The tall wine glass at the left edge of the picture is probably of Venetian origin and thus another luxury product. In 1668 Hinz became a citizen of the city of Hamburg, where he ran a flourishing workshop enterprise. Ernst Stuven, himself later a successful still life painter, was one of his pupils and an early member of his workshop. The artist biographer, Joachim von Sandrart described Hinz in 1675, that is, at about the time this painting was being produced, in his 'Teutschen Accademie', “Hinz finds his place among the famous painters and is also good with still life things..”.