Artwork
Dead Cockdkg
Dead Cockdkg is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Gabriel Metsu. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on the physical reality of the dead cock rather than a narrative scene, emphasizing the textures and forms of the game.
The work is a still life painting that depicts a dead rooster and poultry meat. As a genre piece, the subject matter focuses on game and prepared poultry, presenting the bird as a hunted or slaughtered object. The composition centers on the physical reality of the dead cock rather than a narrative scene, emphasizing the textures and forms of the game.
This representation aligns with the traditional still life tradition of showcasing the results of the hunt or market goods.
Technique & Style
Gabriel Metsu painted Dead Cockdkg in oil on panel. The work measures 57 by 40 cm. It is a still life depicting a rooster and poultry meat, classified within the genre of game painting. The use of oil paint on panel was typical of Dutch Golden Age practice, allowing for fine detail and smooth surface finish.
The composition centers on dead game, a common subject in 17th-century Netherlandish painting that combined meticulous naturalism with moralizing vanitas undertones.
History & Provenance
Gabriel Metsu painted Dead Cockdkg in 1650 as an oil on panel still life. The work entered the Spanish royal collection through Ferdinand VII of Spain and is now housed in the Museo del Prado at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. Its dimensions are 57 cm by 40 cm.
Dead Cockdkg is an oil painting on panel measuring 57 cm by 40 cm, created by Gabriel Metsu in 1650. It entered the collection of Ferdinand VII of Spain and is now housed in the Museo del Prado at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. The work has been displayed in exhibitions at the Prado focusing on Dutch and Flemish still-life painting, including a 1998 retrospective of Metsu’s oeuvre.
Overview
Created around 1650 by the Dutch painter Gabriel Metsu, this oil on canvas belongs to the still‑life tradition of the mid‑17th‑century Dutch Golden Age. The work presents a solitary, lifeless bird suspended by its feet against a nearly black background, with a red cloth beneath catching the blood that has dripped from its body. It is part of the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Gabriël Metsu (1629–1667) was a Dutch painter of history paintings, still lifes, portraits, and genre works.
