Still life with dead birds

Still Life of Dead Birds, c. 1660

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Oil on panelexpand_more

Gift of Ruth and Bruce Daytonexpand_more  92.85.1

There were not many hunters in the northern Netherlands when Jan Vonck was painting in the 1600s. Yet he focused almost exclusively on hunting trophy pictures like this one. The birds rest on a rustic table, the hard wood supporting their soft, feathered bodies. Vonck painted the birds with such care and detail that they can be identified: the leftmost bird with yellow on its wing is a goldfinch, the small red-breasted bird is a bullfinch, and the large bird tied up by its leg is a partridge. The dark, pale-speckled bird with the golden beak in the shadows beside the partridge may be a starling. We wish to thank Dan Davison for suggesting the identification of this bird.

Details
Title
Still Life of Dead Birds
Artist Life
1630–1660
Role
Artist
Accession Number
92.85.1
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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Still life with dead birds