Still Life with Dead Game
Willem van Aelst·1661
Historical Context
Willem van Aelst painted this still life with dead game in 1661, one of his refined compositions that elevated the hunting still life to new heights of elegance. Van Aelst trained in Delft and spent years in Italy, where he served the Medici court before returning to Amsterdam. His game pieces are distinguished from earlier Dutch examples by their more sophisticated color harmonies and aristocratic elegance, appealing to collectors with refined taste.
Technical Analysis
Van Aelst renders the textures of feathers, fur, and shot bags with extraordinary precision, using subtle color variations to differentiate materials. His characteristic cool, silvery palette and elegant compositional arrangements distinguish his work from the more robust still lifes of earlier Dutch painters.
Provenance
Probably (sale, Amsterdam, 14 October 1749, no. 16).[1] Dr. C.J.K. van Aalst, Huis-te-Hoevelaken, by 1939;[2] (sale, Sotheby Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 18 May 1981, no. 1); (Richard Green, London); sold 8 June 1982 to NGA. [1] This sale was kindly brought to the attention of Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. by Tanya Paul; see her letter of 30 October 2007, in NGA curatorial files. The sale consisted of works from the collections of Johan Diedrick Pompe van Meerdervoort, Burgemeester of Dordrecht, and the painter Jan van Huysum (1682–1749), although the consignor of individual lots is not specified. The work is described as “Een doode Haan en Haas en verder bywerk, kunstig geschilderd door van Aalst, h 2v. 7 en een half d., br. 2 v. 3 d., in een zwarte Lyst met een verguld binnen Lysje. 18-10,” and Paul writes that the NGA painting is the only Van Aelst to her knowledge that depicts both a rooster and a hare. See Gerard Hoet, _Catalogus van schilderyen_, reprint, Soest, 1976: 268–269. [2] [2] J.W. von Moltke, ed. _Dutch and Flemish Old Masters in the Collection of Dr. C.J.K. van Aalst. Huis-te-Hoevelaken, Holland_, foreword by W.R. Valentiner, Verona, 1939: 50, pl. 11.
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