Johann Wilhelm Preyer was one of the few representatives of the Düsseldorf School, who were specialized in still life painting. He started his artistic training at the Art Academy in Düsseldorf in 1822 and attended the classes of Peter von Cornelius and Wilhelm von Schadow. He gained first artistic recognition in 1830, when he participated in the great academic art exhibitions in Berlin. In 1835 he traveled to Holland, where he was able to study Dutch Old Master paintings. From 1837 Preyer was active in Munich, together with his brother Gustav and his friends Johann Peter Hasenclever and Theodor Janssen. King Ludwig I of Bavaria was fascinated by his artistic output and finally bought one of his ...