Basket with glasses

Among Stoskopff’s favourite subjects on his return to Strasbourg were Baskets of Glasses, which show his mastery in capturing reflections and depicting transparent objects. This subject had already been cultivated at the beginning of the century by painters such as Georg Flegel, but Stoskopff was the first to treat it in isolation and make it the central focus of his pictures. The basket is both monumental and diaphanous, holding costly glasses and items of gilt silverware. This predominantly golden-coloured collection of objects stands out against a dark, almost opaque background. Stoskopff’s virtuosity is amazing, combining precision with a great deal of freedom. Some items are defined only by the light they reflect. In the foreground, the fragments of broken glass are a reminder of the fragility of human life – a theme also developed in the poetry of the period.