Artwork

Trompe l'Oeil with Falconer's Bag and other Equipment for Falconry

Trompe l'Oeil with Falconer's Bag and other Equipment for Falconry is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts. It dates from 1671 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting presents a trompe l'oeil illusion of a falconer's bag alongside various falconry equipment, emphasizing the material culture of the sport. It symbolizes the meticulous preparation and status associated with falconry, portraying the objects as trophies of expertise. The work reflects 17th-century fascination with realism and the virtuoso display of hunting prowess.

Technique & Style

The work is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for seventeenth-century Flemish still-life painting.

The work is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for seventeenth-century Flemish still-life painting. Gijsbrechts specialized in trompe l'oeil compositions, a genre built on hyper-realistic illusionism in which everyday objects are rendered with such convincing naturalism that they appear to project from the picture plane. The canvas measures 89.5 by 77.5 centimeters, providing an upright format suited to the vertical arrangement of falconry equipment. The painting is held by the Statens Museum for Kunst.

The medium of oil paint allowed the artist to build up fine gradations of tone and texture needed to differentiate the leather falconer's bag, cords, and associated gear from the wall behind them. Such meticulous handling of surface effects, sheen on metal, the matte grain of leather, the weave of fabric, is characteristic of the trompe l'oeil tradition in which Gijsbrechts worked.

History & Provenance

The painting was created in 1671, as indicated by the date inscribed on the canvas. It entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Denmark, where it remains held. The work is catalogued as part of the museum’s holdings under Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts’s oeuvre, with dimensions recorded at 89.5 cm in height and 77.5 cm in width.

The painting is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. Created in 1671 by Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts, the work is executed in oil on canvas and measures 89.5 cm in height by 77.5 cm in width. The provided sources confirm the artwork's current location and physical attributes but do not contain specific inventory or accession numbers, nor do they list any past or current exhibitions.

Overview

Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts’ 1671 oil painting presents a carefully arranged assemblage of falconry paraphernalia rendered with such precision that the objects appear to protrude from the wall. A white bag with green straps, a feather‑adorned glove, and a long strap ending in a small basket are depicted against a muted background, inviting the viewer to question the boundary between painted illusion and reality.

Context

Falconry was a prestigious pastime among European nobility, and its equipment often featured in still‑life compositions that celebrated status and skill. Gijsbrechts’ choice of subject aligns with contemporary interests in both hunting culture and the intellectual curiosity of viewers who prized visual puzzles, situating the painting within broader trends of baroque realism and playful illusion.

Trompe l'Oeil with Dead Duck and Hunting Implements, Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts

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Artist & collection

Artist

Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts

Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts (1625/1629 – after 1675), was a Flemish painter who was active in the Spanish Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden in the second half of the seventeenth century.