Who painted Untitled?

Untitled was painted by Roelant Savery in 1615.

Where can I see Untitled?

Untitled is held by Rijksmuseum.

What movement is Untitled?

Untitled is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Can I buy a print of Untitled?

Museum-quality prints of Untitled are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Untitled by Roelant Savery (1615) · Meaning, Museum & Prints

About this work

If you're interested in learning more about Dutch art from the 17th century, you might want to check out the work of artist Roelant Savery.

This painting shows a crowded barn scene. There are many cows in the room, some standing and some lying down. In the background, you can see a large wooden door and a window. The colors are mostly brown and tan, with some greenery visible outside.

The painting has a lot of detail, with each cow looking unique. The artist has used a lot of texture to make the animals and the barn look realistic. You can even see the individual hairs on the cows' bodies.

If you're interested in learning more about Dutch art from the 17th century, you might want to check out the work of artist Roelant Savery.

Subject & Meaning

Roelant Savery's still lifes and landscapes frequently incorporate mythological or biblical narratives, such as Paradise, Noah's Ark, or Orpheus charming animals, often set within fantastical, non-realistic environments featuring temple ruins. His work is characterized by a late Mannerist aesthetic that favors decorative, twisted forms and bizarre, eccentric details over strict naturalism, including depictions of animals with unusual features like cross-eyed lions.

Savery holds historical significance for creating some of the earliest independent flower bouquets and for being the first Flemish painter to depict isolated animals. He produced ten known representations of the extinct dodo, drawing from the imperial menagerie in Prague, which established the standard visual image of the bird. His floral arrangements sometimes highlight extreme botanical rarities, such as the yellow Rosa hemisphaerica, signaling both scientific curiosity and the prestige of owning exotic specimens.

Technique & Style

Roelant Savery employed a meticulous oil-on-panel technique characteristic of Dutch Golden Age still life and landscape painting, rendering delicate botanical details with fine brushwork and a restricted, often luminous palette. His support was typically rigid wood panel, enabling precise layering to achieve the textural richness seen in works like Bouquet in a Stone Niche (c. 1610). Formal stylistic qualities include a Mannerist-derived preference for ornamental, twisted forms and dramatic chiaroscuro, blending with naturalistic observation in animal and plant depictions. This synthesis produced fantastical yet carefully observed compositions, such as those featuring the dodo, where botanical accuracy intersected with symbolic or mythological context.

Legacy

Roelant Savery's unique Mannerist style, characterized by decorative and often bizarre forms, remained highly popular with collectors, ensuring his works are now held in numerous museums across Europe and North America. His preparatory drawings continue to be highly valued by scholars and institutions. Savery is particularly renowned as the most prolific and influential illustrator of the extinct dodo; his 1626 painting, known as Edwards' Dodo, established the standard visual image of the bird that has been copied for centuries. This specific imagery also influenced his nephew, Jan Savery, whose own famous 1651 illustration of the species was likely derived from Roelant's earlier works.

In the modern era, the artist's reputation has been reinforced by major exhibitions, including a 2011 retrospective in Kortrijk and a 2024 show at The Hague's Mauritshuis. The market for his work remains strong, evidenced by the 2016 acquisition of his 1615 flower still life by the Mauritshuis for 6.5 million euros.

Artist & collection

Artist

Roelant Savery

Roelant Savery (or Roeland(t) Maertensz Saverij, or de Savery, or many variants; 1576 – buried 25 February 1639) was a Flanders-born Dutch Golden Age painter.