Where can I see Hunting Still Life?

Hunting Still Life is held by Mauritshuis.

What movement is Hunting Still Life?

Hunting Still Life is associated with Rococo painting.

Can I buy a print of Hunting Still Life?

Museum-quality prints of Hunting Still Life are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Hunting Still Life

Jan Weenix , 1708

Hunting Still Life is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jan Weenix. It dates from 1708 and is held in the collection of the Mauritshuis.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Jan Weenix's Hunting Still Life centers on the spoils and accoutrements of a hunt, presenting dead game and a bird as the principal subjects within a still-life genre framework. The composition extends beyond the trophies themselves to include a blowing horn, a corpse, and cut flowers including a rose, situating the catch within a broader rural landscape of trees, sky, clouds, and a shoreline that opens onto the sea. Specular reflections on the sea and the inclusion of a distant landscape lend atmospheric depth to the scene, while the horn and flowers introduce traditional vanitas-adjacent motifs of mortality and transience layered onto the celebratory display of the hunt.

The main subject is identified as hunting itself, with the gathered elements functioning both as a record of the chase and as an evocation of aristocratic pastime and natural abundance.

Technique & Style

Formal qualities include the depiction of a corpse and sky with clouds, alongside specific visual effects like specular reflections.

Jan Weenix executed Hunting Still Life in 1708 using oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 79.2 cm in height and 69.5 cm in width, presenting a detailed hunting motif within a landscape setting. The composition integrates game, birds, and a blowing horn alongside floral elements such as roses, set against a backdrop featuring a rural area, trees, and a shoreline with the sea.

Formal qualities include the depiction of a corpse and sky with clouds, alongside specific visual effects like specular reflections. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Mauritshuis.

History & Provenance

Hunting Still Life was painted by Jan Weenix in 1708 as an oil on canvas work. The painting entered the Mauritshuis collection and is currently housed there. No further details about earlier ownership, commissions, or subsequent transfers are provided in the sources.

Hunting Still Life by Jan Weenix is held in the collection of the Mauritshuis, where it is located according to the Wikidata record for the work. The painting, executed in oil on canvas and dated 1708, is catalogued within that museum's holdings.

No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.

Overview

Created in 1708 by Dutch artist Jan Weenix, this oil painting presents a meticulously arranged hunting still life. The work is part of the Mauritshuis collection and exemplifies the decorative sensibility of the early Rococo period in the Netherlands.

Context

During the early 18th century, Dutch still‑life painters often celebrated the bounty of the hunt, reflecting both aristocratic leisure and the region’s commercial interest in game. Weenix’s work aligns with this tradition, combining realistic observation with the ornamental elegance characteristic of the Rococo movement.