Still Life with Dead Game, Fruits, and Vegetables in a Market
Frans Snyders·1614
Historical Context
Frans Snyders's monumental Still Life with Dead Game, Fruits, and Vegetables in a Market, painted in 1614, is an early masterwork of the Flemish market and hunting still-life tradition. Snyders, who collaborated frequently with Rubens, was the undisputed master of large-scale animal and still-life painting in Antwerp. His market scenes — bursting with game, fish, fruit, and vegetables — celebrate the abundance of the Flemish economy and the sensory pleasures of the natural world.
Technical Analysis
Snyders's oil-on-canvas technique handles the large format with confident, energetic brushwork. The varied textures — feathers, fur, fruit skin, vegetables — are rendered with remarkable material specificity, while the composition's dynamic diagonals prevent the abundant display from becoming static.
Provenance
Olléon collection by late 19th century; by family descent to Jean Olléon, Paris until at least 1970 [according to letter from Hella Robels, dated July 31, 1988, in curatorial file]. Galerie Birtschansky, Paris, 1980. Galerie Maurice Segoura, New York, 1981; sold to the Art Institute, 1981.
