stilleven

Dutch

Stilleven by Pieter Claesz.

Etymology

Compound of stil (“still, motionless, silent”) +‎ leven (“life”), perhaps from older stilstaand leven.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌstɪ(l)ˈleː.və(n)/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: stil‧le‧ven

Noun

stilleven n (plural stillevens, diminutive stilleventje n)

1. still-life (painting or other image of arranged inanimate or dead objects, sometimes displaying living animals as well) [from late 17th c.]
   • 1678, Samuel van Hoogstraeten, Inleyding tot de Hooge Schoole der Schilderkonst: Anders de Zichtbaere Werelt, publ. by Fransois van Hoogstraeten, page 87.

     Echter ſtaet dit vaſt, dat hoe overaerdig eenige bloemen, vruchten, of andere ſtillevens, gelijk wy't noemen, geſchildert zijn, deeze Schilderyen evenwel niet hooger, als in den eerſten graed der konſtwerken moogen geſtelt worden; al waerenze zelfs van de Heem, Pater Zegers, jae Zeuxis en Parraſius, tot bedriegens toe uitgevoert.

     However, this is certain, that no matter how exceedingly charming some flowers, fruits or other still lives, as we call it, have been painted, these paintings may nevertheless not be placed any higher than in the first [lowest] degree of artworks; even if they were executed to the point of deceptive realism by De Heem, father Zegers, even Zeuxis and Parrhasius.

Hyponyms

• jachtstuk
• pronkstilleven
• vanitasstilleven

Derived terms

• pronkstilleven
• vanitasstilleven

Descendants

• Afrikaans: stillewe
• → English: still life (calque)
• → German: Stillleben (calque)
  • → Danish: stilleben
  • → Finnish: stilleben
  • → Swedish: stilleben
• → West Frisian: stillibben (calque)