Artwork
Hare, Spoonbill, and Fish
Hare, Spoonbill, and Fish is an oil painting. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
5 cm in width, presenting a substantial horizontal format typical for hunting or market pieces of the era.
Created in 1650, this work is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The composition features a still-life arrangement of a hare, a spoonbill, and a fish, rendered with the material properties characteristic of mid-seventeenth-century European painting. The artwork measures 99.5 cm in height and 128.5 cm in width, presenting a substantial horizontal format typical for hunting or market pieces of the era.
While the specific artist remains unidentified, the handling of the oil medium allows for the detailed depiction of varied textures, from the fur of the hare to the plumage of the bird and the scales of the fish.
History & Provenance
The painting titled Hare, Spoonbill, and Fish was created in 1650 using oil paint on canvas. The work is attributed to an unknown artist. It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, where it is currently held. The piece measures 99.5 cm in height and 128.5 cm in width.
Overview
The oil painting titled Hare, Spoonbill, and Fish presents a dark‑toned tableau in which a white bird, likely a spoonbill, lies on its back with wings outstretched beside a sizable fish and a hare, all rendered as lifeless forms. The composition is set against a deep background that isolates the subjects, creating a stark visual focus.
Subject & Meaning
The work groups three distinct animal forms, a bird, a mammal, and a fish, each depicted after death, suggesting themes of mortality and the natural order. By arranging the creatures together, the artist invites contemplation of the fleeting nature of life and the quiet stillness that follows, without overt symbolic narrative.
Context
The painting aligns with a tradition of European still‑life that emphasizes realism and the study of light. Its focus on dead animal subjects places it within a lineage of works that explore vanitas motifs, wherein the depiction of perishable items serves as a reminder of life's transience.
Artist & collection
