Van Es spent his entire life in Antwerp although he is said to have visited Rome in 1636. He seems to have worked exclusively as a painter of still life. Paintings of foodstuffs were his speciality. This shows a relatively modest meal with expensive accessories: a blue and white Wan-li porcelain plate from China, a Venetian-style drinking glass and an ivory-handled knife. The glass reappears in a number of van Es's paintings.
