This still life shines a light on archaeological finds from the Drents Museum, which Henk Helmantel (1945) carefully selected from the depot. It is important to him that his still lifes show that objects have their own past and are not just mundane pots and pans. The arrangement of the objects is also meticulously planned. These cups and bowls from the period between the Neolithic Era and the Iron Age were painted with photographic precision. The work immediately evokes the masters of the Golden Age. Not surprisingly, since Helmantel studied their work for hours at the Rijksmuseum when he was still only fifteen.

Henk Helmantel, Stilleven met Drentse archeologica (Still Life of Archaeological Objects from Drenthe), 2004