This still life is an exceptionally rich and decorative. The main theme is the dead swan which is hung by one leg and has one wing stretched out. Classic themes are depicted on the decorated garden vase on the right. The owner could claim social status with this painted catch, for it was a privilege to be allowed to hunt these large birds. Around 1700 the Dutch elite yielded to the taste of foreign courts, which had discovered the potential of Dutch art. When the 75-year-old Weenix painted this huge still life he had just delivered a series of similar game pieces to the Elector Palatine in Düsseldorf. The technique is typically Dutch but the size conjures up visions of foreign castles, and the subject speaks of power.
Specifications
| Title | Dead Swan |
|---|---|
| Material and technique | Oil on canvas |
| Object type |
Painting
> Painting
> Two-dimensional object
> Art object
|
| Location | This object is in storage |
| Dimensions |
Width 154 cm Height 173 cm |
|---|---|
| Artists |
Painter:
Jan Weenix
|
| Accession number | 1962 (OK) |
| Credits | Purchased 1865 |
| Department | Old Masters |
| Acquisition date | 1865 |
| Creation date | in 1716 |
| Internal exhibitions |
The Collection Enriched (2011) Lievelingen (2024) |
| Research |
Show research Alma |
| Material | |
| Object | |
| Geographical origin | Northern Netherlands > The Netherlands > Western Europe > Europe |
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