Still life painter Willem van Aelst learned his specialty from his uncle, a painter in Delft. In 1643 he enrolled in the Delft painters' guild and later in the 1640s worked in France. Van Aelst then traveled to Florence, where he served as court painter to Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. His signature, *Guill[er]mo van Aelst,* reflects his Italian experience. Ironically, the Dutch
