The highlight of the exhibition is undoubtedly Clara Peeters’ Still life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels. The large halved Gouda at the rear is portrayed in such astonishingly fine detail that one cannot help but desire to taste it, as indeed someone already has: the plugged hole left by a cheese taster’s scoop is clearly visible. In front sits a greenish cheese, probably from Edam, its peculiar hue attained from the horseradish or parsley juice added to the milk. The knife pointing out towards us offers enticement to try this extinct delicacy. It’s a format that must have pleased buyers as she painted four other very similar versions. Buvelot himself has a copy of it in his office. Does it make him hungry? “It makes me happy,” he laughs.

Grate expectations

A century after the paintings featured in the exhibition, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, possibly France’s finest still-life painter, was portraying cheese in his own uniquely refined manner. He does not let them dominate the canvas in the manner of his Dutch predecessors but his exquisite feeling for colour, texture and tone cannot help but draw the viewer’s gaze. As Kenneth Bendiner, author of Food in Painting, puts it, “what makes Chardin different is his simplicity.” The emphasis is on the formal beauty of these objects and in this he excels.