Gerret Willemsz Heda (c1623 - c1660). Gerret Willemsz. Heda was a Dutch painter from the Golden Age who worked in Haarlem. Very little is known about the life of Gerret Heda. He was a son of Willem Claesz. Heda, who was also his tutor. Both mainly produced still lifes and Gerret's work closely resembles that of his father, who is regarded as a prominent representative of the Haarlem school. The still lifes often contain fruit or are so-called breakfasts, sometimes with vanitas elements. He was active in Haarlem in the 1640s and was probably born and died there as well. There is a mention in a document of the Haarlem Guild of Saint Lukefrom 1642 in which Willem Heda indicates that his son, along with a few others, is one of his students. Calculating backwards, it can be assumed that Gerret would have been born early in the 1620s. The RKD gives an indication of the date of his burial, on 31 July 1647. Other sources mention a later date. In 1658 he is still mentioned as an active member of the Guild of Saint Luke. However, he is no longer mentioned in a will of his parents from 1661. An overview from 1702 of former members of the guild states that he has died. In April 2022 it was announced that a still life that father Willem and son Gerret Heda had made together had been discovered in New South Wales. The oil painting was believed to have arrived in Australia in the 19th century. The authenticity was not established until a restoration project started in 2021, because the Hedas had placed minuscule signatures on the canvas.
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