Who painted Still Life with Goose and Game before a Country Estate?

Still Life with Goose and Game before a Country Estate was painted by Jan Weenix in c. 1685.

Where can I see Still Life with Goose and Game before a Country Estate?

Still Life with Goose and Game before a Country Estate is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Still Life with Goose and Game before a Country Estate?

Still Life with Goose and Game before a Country Estate is associated with Baroque.

Can I buy a print of Still Life with Goose and Game before a Country Estate?

Museum-quality prints of Still Life with Goose and Game before a Country Estate are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Still Life with Goose and Game before a Country Estate

Jan Weenix , 1685

Still Life with Goose and Game before a Country Estate is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Jan Weenix. It dates from 1685 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Jan Weenix's 1685 painting portrays an arrangement of hunted game, prominently featuring a goose and various game birds, alongside a hare.

Jan Weenix's 1685 painting portrays an arrangement of hunted game, prominently featuring a goose and various game birds, alongside a hare. A spaniel is also present within the composition, while a pigeon and a jay are captured in mid-flight. The assembled quarry is set before an expansive water garden and a country estate.

As a Dutch still life, the work represents the spoils of the hunt, functioning as a display of abundance and the aristocratic leisure associated with country estates. The juxtaposition of lifeless game with the lively dogs and birds in flight introduces a contrast that underscores the transience of life, a common theme in such still lifes.

Technique & Style

The painting is executed in oil on canvas, a standard support for Weenix's ambitious still-life compositions. The work measures 142.9 by 172.4 centimeters, a horizontal format suited to its expansive landscape backdrop and the broad arrangement of dead game and live birds in the foreground. The combination of hunting trophies with a country estate vista reflects Weenix's characteristic late-career synthesis of detailed still life and panoramic landscape, achieved through layered oil glazes that render both the plumage of the game and the architectural and garden elements beyond with precise illusionism.

History & Provenance

Jan Weenix completed this oil on canvas in 1685. The earliest documented owner was Gerret Braamcamp of Amsterdam, who possessed the work by 1752. Following Braamcamp's death, the painting appeared in his estate sale in Amsterdam in July 1771, where it was acquired by John Hope.

The work remained within the Hope family for over a century, passing sequentially to John's son Henry Philip Hope, then to his nephew Henry Thomas Hope, and subsequently to Henry Thomas's widow, Adèle Bichat Hope. By inheritance, it reached Henry Francis Hope Pelham-Clinton-Hope, the 8th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme, who held it at various estates including Deepdene and Clumber Park. By 1923, the painting was with Galerie Charles Brunner in Paris, later entering the collection of Mme G. Brière in 1928.

After remaining in a private Parisian family collection from circa 1930, it was offered at Sotheby's New York in January 2003 but went unsold. The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., ultimately acquired the piece via private contract in March 2004, where it remains.

Overview

Jan Weenix, a Dutch painter from the late 17th century, created this oil on canvas work around 1685. Titled Still Life with Goose and Game before a Country Estate, it exemplifies the detailed still-life tradition prevalent during the Dutch Golden Age. The composition prominently features a large goose and various game birds, meticulously arranged against the backdrop of a grand country estate. Weenix was recognized for his skill in depicting such hunting trophies and related scenes.

Context

Jan Weenix belonged to a family of artists specializing in similar genres. He received his artistic training from his father, Jan Baptist Weenix, and his cousin, Melchior d'Hondecoeter, both of whom were also known for their depictions of game and animals. This artistic lineage contributed to Weenix's proficiency in creating the elaborate still lifes that appealed to the wealthy clientele of the Dutch Golden Age, who sought works reflecting their status and tastes.