Van der Hamen's still lifes are painted in a style markedly Flemish but they reflect the strong influence of those painted at the beginning of the seventeenth century in Toledo by Juan Sánchez Cotán, in which fruits and vegetables are often shown suspended from a window frame or arrange along a ledge. Van der Hamen adapted Sánchez Cotán compositional style to the conditions of cosmopolitan life in Madrid, using more elaborate objects and foods compositions and objects ranging elaborate confessions, imported Venetian crystals and ceramic vessels along a simple shelf. The objects are silhouetted against a dark background and caught in a powerful light. Their regular, zigzag arrangements and the strong shadows falling on the shelf result in a placid sense of space that is heightened by the impression given by the wafers extending beyond the edge of the shelf towards the viewer.