Still life with fish and a cat

The cat in this still life shows a striking likeness with a similar cat on a painting of ‘A cat with catch, a basket with fruit and a skinned calf’s head’ by Waillernat Vaillant which is in a private collection. Not only the cat but also the incidence of light on the still life with calf’s head is very similar. The ‘Still life with catch’ that showed up at the art fair, also by Vaillant, shows that same cat and even features the same bucket. Besides the similar elements, the way the wood is painted also supports the attribution to Vaillant. He painted several 'trompe l'oeils' with letters and accessories pushed behind braid on a rough wood wall, the structure of which is the same as that on our still life. Based on these considerations, the work has been attributed to Vaillant.
Vaillant only dated a small number of his still lifes. All these dates are between 1650 and 1652. Taking into account Vaillant’s roamings, it is hardly surprising that it was until recently attributed to an unknown master from Dordrecht.