Jacob Van Hulsdonck first studied painting in Germany. He later lived in Antwerp, Belgium, and became a master of still life painting. His work often features arrangements of fruit, generally including brightly coloured plums, grapes and peaches. Hulsdonck, like other painters of still life, aimed to capture the true colour and texture of his subjects. Such artists enjoyed studying the effect of light on the various surfaces of a variety of objects. Hulsdonck obviously delighted in the beauty of his subjects. He has captured every detail in the bread, fish and cherries. Even small, delicate crumbs of meat are added to the edge of the platter of ham. Chinese porcelain had recently begun to be imported in large quantities by the Dutch East India Company and this is one of the earliest depictions of it in use at a meal.