Willem Dolphyn Belgian, 1935-2016
From the Studio Shelf, 1983
Oil on Panel
40 x 50 cms / 15¾ x 19¾ inches
Signed 'W Dolphyn' (lower left)
Dated 1983
Dated 1983
Description
Painted in 1983, this assembled shelf of books, ceramics and glass belongs to an early but assured phase in Willem Dolphyn’s still-life practice. Arranged along a narrow ledge, the objects are drawn from a lived interior rather than a theatrical setting: worn volumes with softened spines sit beside earthenware vessels, small bottles and a slender glass flute whose verticality punctuates the composition. Shelf with Vase and Book reads less as a catalogue of objects than as a reflection on familiarity and accumulation, signalling an enduring interest, already evident in 1983.