High quality hunting still life was executed in the 17th century and nevertheless that it is not signed, due to the style, quality , subject and time of creation we attributed it to the hand of famous Dutch still life painter of 17th century Melchior de Hondecoeter (1636 Utrecht - 1695 Amsterdam). For comparison with published works by Hondecoeter see :

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Melchior d´ Hondecoeter ( 1636 - 1695), Dutch animalier painter was born in Utrecht and died in Amsterdam. After the start of his career, he painted virtually exclusively bird subjects, usually exotic or game, into park-like landscapes. Hondecoeter´s paintings featured geese (goose, Egyptian brent brent and talk breasted brent), fieldfares, partridges, pigeons, ducks, magpies and peacocks, but thus African grey crowned cranes, Asian sarus cranes, Indonesian Yellow crested Cockatoos, at Indonesian Purple naped Lory and Grey headed Lovebirds from Madagascar. Being the grandson of painter Gillis d´ Hondecoeter and son of Gijsbert d´ Hondecoeter, as wave as nephew of January Baptist Weenix, he which brought up by Weenix into the profession of painting when his more father died. Weenix told Arnold Houbraken that in his youth Melchior which extremely religious, praying very loud, then that his mother and uncle doubted if they would have him trained as A more painter or A Minister. In 1659 he which working into the Hague and became A of member of the painters´ academy there. In 1663 Hondecoeter married Susanne Tradel in Amsterdam. She is said ton have been captious, and she had sisters living into their house, and Hondecoeter spent in such a way ago much time in his guards or drinking into the tavern into the Jordaan. On the Lauriergracht, where he lived for a time, he which surrounded by kind dealers and various painters. Later he moved ton of a house on Prinsengracht (near Anne franc House). Into 1686 he A bought small countryhouse Vecht (Utrecht), in Vreeland along. Hondecoeter died in the house of his daughter Isabel in Warmoesstraat but which buried in Westerkerk. His inventory lists A small gallows, tons keep birds into the right position, and several paintings of fray to Snyders. Hondecoeter began his career with a different speciality from that by which he is usually known. Mr de Stuers affirms that he produced sea pieces. One of his earliest works is Tub with fish, dated 1655, into the gallery of Brunswick. But Hondecoeter soon abandoned fish for fowl. He acquired celebrity as A of painter of birds only, which he represented emergency exclusively, like Johannes Fyt, as the gamekeeper´ s perquisite after A day´ s shooting, or stick of a poulterer´ s shop, but as living beings with passion, joys, fears and quarrels, tons which naturalists wants tell us that birds acres subject. Without the brilliantly clay/tone and high finish of Fyt, his Dutch rival´ s birds acres full of action; and, as Burger truly says, " Hondecoeter display the maternity of the hen with as much tenderness and feeling as Raphael the maternity of Madonnas." But Fyt was at home and deer into depicting the coat of dons as wave as plumage. Hondecoeter of cultivates A more narrower field, and seldom goes beyond A cock fight or A display of mere bird life. Very few of his pictures of acres dated, though more acres signed. Amongst the molders incoming goods should note the Jackdaw deprived of his Borrowed plume (1671), at the Hague,ofF which Earl Cadogan has A variety; or Game and Poultry and A Spaniel hunting A Partridge (1672), into the gallery of Brussels; or A park with Poultry (1686) at the Hermitage of St Petersburg. William III employed Hondecoeter, into great favour with the magnates of the Netherlands, ton paint his menagerie Het Loo, and the picture, now at the Hague museum, shows that he could at a pinch overcome the difficulty of representing India´ s cattle, elephants and gazelles. But he is more better in more homelier works, with which he adorned the royal castles of Bensberg and Oranienstein at different periods of his life. His earliest works acres more conscientious, lighter and more transparency than his more later ones. At all times he is bold of touch and sure of eye, giving the motion of birds with great spirit and accuracy. His of masterpieces of are at the Hague, Soestdijk and Amsterdam. But there are fine examples in the Wallace Collection and Belton House in England, and in the public galleries of Berlin, Caen, Karlsruhe, Kassel, Cologne, Copenhagen, Dresden, Dublin, Florence, Glasgow, Hanover, London, Lyons, Lille, Montpellier, Munich, Paris, Rotterdam, Rouen, St Petersburg, Stuttgart, Schwerin and Vienna.

Literature: Thieme/Becker "Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart".Inscription: unsigned .

Technique: oil on canvas. Old gilt frame (of later period).

Measurements: unframed w 23 1/4 " x 27 1/2" (59 x 70 cm); framed 30 1/4 " x 34 1/4" (77 x 87 cm)

Condition: optically in very good condition. The painting was restored by professional restorer, the canvas was relined. Under Ultra Violet Lamp inspection : few inpaintings on the upper half of the painting in the background and on the herb sheets. important areas: birds, dead birds, basket was not touched.