Artwork
Still life with meat and dead birds
Still life with meat and dead birds is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Christoffel Puytlinck. It dates from 1665 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work measures 87 cm in height and 123 cm in width, classifying it as a substantial oil painting within the still life genre.
Christoffel Puytlinck created Still life with meat and dead birds in 1665 using oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 87 cm in height and 123 cm in width, classifying it as a substantial oil painting within the still life genre. As a product of the Dutch Golden Age, the piece exhibits the formal characteristics typical of the period's vanitas and banquet scenes, focusing on the realistic depiction of foodstuffs and game. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
History & Provenance
Christoffel Puytlinck painted Still life with meat and dead birds in 1665, as recorded in its creation history and corroborated by the work’s dated inscription. The painting entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on display, establishing a clear ownership chain from the artist to the institution.
Still life with meat and dead birds is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it is recorded under the accession number SK-A-2645. The work has been part of several exhibitions at the museum, including the 2011 exhibition titled "Dutch and Flemish Paintings from the Rijksmuseum" and the 2019 presentation "Golden Ages: Dutch and Flemish Masterpieces".
Overview
Christoffel Puytlinck, a mid‑17th‑century painter from Roermond, produced the oil on canvas titled Still life with meat and dead birds in 1665. The work belongs to the Dutch Golden Age tradition of still‑life painting, concentrating on a tabletop arrangement of game and provisions. It is currently housed in the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a somber banquet: a slab of raw pork, a pig’s head, a leg of lamb, and several freshly killed birds whose feathers remain attached. Scattered fruit, a loaf of bread, and a blunt knife complete the spread, suggesting a moment of consumption or a meditation on the transience of flesh.
Context
Puytlinck specialized in game and bird subjects, a niche within the broader still‑life genre that catered to a market fascinated by the display of abundance and the moral undertones of vanitas. The work aligns with contemporary Dutch artists who used detailed depictions of food to comment on wealth, mortality, and the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Christoffel Puytlinck, (Roermond, 11 November 1640 – Roermond, c. 1679) was a painter from Roermond (present-day Netherlands). He painted still lifes, chiefly game pieces and live and dead fowl.
