17th Century Still-life Paintings

This exquisite floral still life, likely created in the late 17th century, is attributed to a follower of Daniel Seghers. The painting showcases a vivid arrangement of various flower...

This painting fits well into the Dutch pictorial production of the Golden century. The composition, built on the harmonious presentation of rich wild game and fine details such as th...

Master of the Grotesque Vase (active in Rome and Naples in the first quarter of the 17th century) Still life of flowers in a classic vase oil on canvas 66 x 51 cm, In frame cm. 82 x...

Stilllife with dead Birds, Fruits and Vegetables Oil on Canvas, 101 x 84 cm signed (upper left) „G Libald “ (G and L ligated) Provenance: Private Collection, Brussels; Private Coll...

Josè de Arellano (Madrid, 1653 - c. 1714) attributable Pair of still lifes of flowers Oil on canvas 37 x 45 cm. - In period frames 50 x 59 cm. Pair of still lifes, each depicting a...

Antique shaped and gilded wooden box frame. Dimensions: without frame cm. 48.5 x 63 - with frame cm. 59 x 73.5 This beautiful oil painting comes from the Neapolitan still-life prod...

Still life with a crystal goblet and a painted ceramic jug Hubert van Ravesteyn (Dordrecht 1638-1683) workshop/cerchia Flemish painter, mid 17th century Oil on canvas 59 x 74 cm. - Framed 74 x 88 cm. Provenance: Hampel Munich, 29.06.2023, lot 1017 € 8.000-12.000 The composition offers us a typical Flemish still life of the 17th century where, carefully arranged starting from the left edge of the table partially covered by a cloth, we can admire, in order, a magnificent Venetian crystal goblet...

Still life attributed to Jan Van den Hecke I. Very good condition. Professional door to door shipping included. Jan van den Hecke was a Flemish Baroque painter born in Antwerp aroun...

Giuseppe Volò called Vincenzino (Milan, 1662 - documented until 1700) Composition of Flowers and plums Oil on canvas, 44 x 30 cm Framed, 52.5 x 38 cm A fragrant composition with...

Giuseppe Volò called Vincenzino (Milan, 1662 - documented until 1700) Composition of Flowers Oil on canvas, 36 x 49 cm Framed, 45 x 58 cm In this composition by the Milanese Giusep...

Maximilian Pfeiler (active from 1683-c.1721) Still life of flowers and fruits Oil on canvas, 98 x 73 cm Maximilian Pfeiler's life is not well documented and there are few chrono...

Although it is not easy to identify with certainty the subject depicted in this painting, we think it most likely could be a market scene: the architecture with porticoes in the wing...

Painting oil on canvas measuring 60 x 50 cm unframed and 70 x 60 cm framed, depicting a marvellous vase of flowers of Flemish ambit from the second half of the 16th century. The pai...

Still Life with Watermelon, Pears, and Grapes. Lombard School of the 17th-18th Centuries. Oil on canvas. Relined. A composition of lush fruit, heightened by dense and bold brushstro...

Still Life Of Flowers & Fruit In A Glass Vase Upon A Stone Mantle, 19th Century by Jan D DE HEEM Large 17th century Dutch Old Master still life study of various flowers and fruit ...

Oil on copper In the delicate masterpiece crafted by the workshop of Jan Brueghel the Younger, a lush garland of flowers envelops the serene figure of the Virgin and Child, creating a tableau of exquisite beauty and devotion. Within this floral embrace, a myriad of blossoms, each meticulously rendered in vibrant hues, weaves a tapestry of color and texture, showcasing nature's abundant bounty. Roses, tulips, and an array of blooms, their petals unfurling in a symphony of shapes and sizes, form a celestial canopy around the central figures of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus. The Virgin, adorned in regal attire of blue and red, her gentle countenance crowned with grace, cradles the Christ child in her arms. Baby Jesus, his tiny hand raised in blessing, emanates an aura of divine innocence...

Oil on Canvas. Italian school of the 17th-18th centuries. A large composition of colorful flowers in embossed metal vases and some fruits scattered on the ground are placed against a...

Maximilian Pfeiler (attivo dal 1683 al 1721 ca) Natura morta con anguria e Natura morta con uva e fichi (2) Olio su tela, cm 62 x 76 Con cornice, cm 79 x 92 La coppia di nature mort...

Francesco Annicini (Rome 1632 - post 1679) - Still life with greengrocer. 73.5 x 98.5 cm without frame, 90 x 115 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a carved and gild...

Oil on panel In the refined strokes of a 17th-century Dutch artist, a captivating still life unfolds, showcasing a meticulous arrangement of culinary delights that transcend the mun...

Floral with Urn is in a classical Dutch style that dates to the 17th century. The bright flowers drape the urn in whites, crimsons and pinks, standing out against the darker foliage and flowers on a dark background. The artist is unknown and the age is unknown, but the beauty is unmistakable. Oil on canvas, the petals stand out with brushstrokes heavy with paint. The background paint is rough. In the 17th century paint was mixed with gesso or chalk, with particles forming an uneven surface. This background is in the same style in shades of black and brown. THe painting presents well on canvas stretched over an aged wooden stretcher. The painting has been restored and relined at some point, obscuring the back of the original canvas. The flower colors remain bright. Canvas sight is 30" wide and 50" high. There is no frame. There are small nicks and wear consistent with age. The precise date is unknown but aspects of the work suggest a date later than 19th century, and possibly 17th century that is more typical of this style. Dutch flower still life painting...

58 x 136 cm without frame, 71.5 x 150 cm with frame Antique shaped and gilded wooden box frame Publications: unpublished This beautiful painting shows a varied still life with var...

Giovanni Stanchi (Rome 1608 - 1675) or Niccolò Stanchi (Rome 1623 - 1690), workshop of GARLAND OF FLOWERS WITH PORTRAIT OF THE VIRGIN Rome, First half of the Seventeenth century o...

Pair of large and opulent 17th century Flemish floral still lifes by the celebrated artist Gaspar Pieter Verbruggen I Our paintings depict opulent floral arrangements consisting of,...

Painting, oil on canvas, measuring 82 x 67.5 unframed and 98 x 82 cm with frame, by the painter Nicolas Baudesson ( Troyes 1611 - Paris 1680 ). Born in Troyes to a family of artists ...

Painting oil on canvas measuring 67 x 45 cm without frame and 82 x 60 depicting a vase of flowers by the painter Niccolò Stanchi ( Rome 1626 - 1690 ). The Stanchi brothers (Giovanni...

This painting is reproduced in the reference book on Roman still life "Pittori di nature morta a Roma - artisti italiani 1630 -1750" by Gianluca and Ulisse Bocchi - Arti Grafiche Castello 2005 (page 250 figure FS5), where it is mentioned as one of the few paintings that can be given with certainty to Giovanni Stanchi. This highly decorative flower garland reveals a very strong Flemish influence, enabling us to attribute it with certainty to Giovanni Stanchi, the eldest of a sibling group of painters active in the production of still lifes in 17th century Rome. Probably painted before 1640, our garland conceals a mystical message beneath its decorative opulence, which we're about to reveal ... 1. Giovanni, Niccolò and Angelo Stanchi, a brotherhood of still-life painters in 17th-century Baroque Rome The three Stanchi brothers, Giovanni (1608 - after 1675), Niccolò (ca. 1623 - 1690) and Angelo (1626 - after 1675) lived and worked together (like the Le Nain brothers), making identification of the different hands perilous. Giovanni Stanchi's name is first mentioned in 1634, in the register of the painters' guild of the "Accademia di San Luca". Paid membership of the painters' guild provided not only a social network, but also commissions from important Roman families. In 1638, Giovanni Stanchi painted a picture for the Barberini family depicting their coat of arms surrounded by flowers. In 1660, he was commissioned by Cardinal Flavio Chigi to decorate a gallery with still lifes of flowers and fruit. The Chigis remained his principal patrons until after 1673. Thereafter, he received commissions from almost every important family in Rome. An invoice dated 1670 identifies Giovanni Stanchi and Mario Nuzzi as the painters responsible for the still lifes that decorated the famous mirrors in Palazzo Colonna. In 1675, Giovanni Stanchi's name appears for the last time in connection with a project in which he was engaged, together with Andries Bosman and the figure painter Ciro Ferri, to decorate the mirrors of the Palazzo Borghese on Campo Marzio. Although all three brothers were active as painters, the records of their commissions always refer to Giovanni, since, as eldest brother, he was responsible for invoices and contracts. Only in a few cases is the name of one of the younger brothers mentioned. Only paintings with a strong Flemish influence dating from the first four decades of the 17th century, such as this one, can be attributed with certainty to Giovanni, as he was the only painter in the family at the time. 2. History of a genre: the flower garland Jan Brueghel the Elder (Brussels 1568 - Antwerp 1625) is credited with inventing the flower garland theme during his stay in Rome in 1592. Such garlands were originally used to surround a religious subject, often a Marian one. This religious scene could sometimes be painted by another artist, as in the painting acquired in 1608 by Cardinal Borromeo, featuring a Madonna (painted by Henry van Balen), surrounded by a garland painted by Jan Brueghel. This theme was taken up and developed in Rome from 1625 onwards by Daniel Seghers, before the young Giovanni Stanchi made it his own, reinforcing its symbolic dimension (to which we shall return) and moving away from the naturalistic approach of Jan Brueghel to develop a certain idealization of each flower, closer to the style of Mario Nuzzi (Rome 1603 - 1673). Giovanni Stanchi's garlands, of which he was the best Italian interpreter in the 17th century, also reveal him to be one of the most faithful to the Flemish tradition. The book by Gianluca and Ulisse Bocchi lists nine still lifes very similar to ours, all executed on a black background (including the one reproduced as the last photo in the gallery, which belongs to the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Bologna). Because of their proximity to Flemish works, they can be attributed with certainty to Giovanni Stanchi. Four of them belong to private collections, while the others are all in public institutions (Anhaltische Gemäldegalerie, Dessau; Galeria del Palazzo Bianco, Genoa; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux; Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna; Palazzo Chigi-Saraceni, Siena). Like those in Flemish still lifes, the flowers depicted by Giovanni Stanchi bloom at different times of the year, ruling out any representation of a real bouquet. Alongside the more traditional flowers of our gardens (roses, tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, irises), it is also interesting to note the frequent inclusion of more exotic flowers such as jasmine and blue bindweed (ipomoea indica), which had been recently introduced to Europe from Mexico. Each flower painted by Giovanni Stanchi seems to have its own individuality, a trait characteristic of Flemish painting, of which Stanchi was the best interpreter in Italy. One could say that Stanchi does not depict garlands of flowers, but flowers in a garland, each with its own identity and specificity, making it unique and different from the others. Captured in a low-angled light that seems to have captured them for eternity, they are drawn with clear, precise lines. As if they had been freshly cut, they emerge from the darkness in geometric figures that reinforce the tactile quality of their representation. One of Giovanni Stanchi's distinctive features is to have substituted the central religious representation traditionally associated with Flemish flower...

Still Life Of Pears, Apples and Grapes in an upturned basket, 17th Century circle of BARTHOLOMEUS ASSTEYN (1607-1667) Huge 17th Century Dutch Still Life of apples, pears and grape...

Oil painting on canvas measuring 50 x 99 cm without frame and 62 x 111 cm with coeval frame, depicting a still life of fruit by the painter Giovanni Paolo Castelli known as Spadino ( Rome 1659 - 1730 ). This magnificent canvas, hitherto unpublished to my knowledge, depicts a display of fruit set out in the open at the edge of a wood (apples, peaches, black and white pizzutella grapes, two split watermelons and a plum), and at the edge of a stream, with a hilly landscape opening up to the left. The fruit is placed in the foreground, very close to the viewer's point of view, and occupies, with its bright and festive colors, most of the field of vision. The painter does not seek a particular spatial geometry or constructive scheme, but indulges in a skilful and brilliant chromatic weaving of the surfaces, by means of a pictorial material applied with exceptional fluidity and vibration, if you like, even sensual in its luminous and 'tactile' corpulence in the taste of the full Baroque. The quality is excellent and the style appears surprisingly free and evocative, although it retains traces of the old Flemish naturalism typical of Roman Baroque still life painting, strongly influenced by the work of Abraham Brueghel, as evidenced, for example, by the tiny drops of visible dew, or the luminous reflections on grapes or the flesh of watermelons. These are all elements that undoubtedly indicate as its author one of the most important specialists of this pictorial genre in late Baroque Rome: Giovanni Paolo Castelli known as Lo Spadino. The painting in fact appears to be entirely typical of the painter's mature work, i.e. towards the end of the 17th or beginning of the 18th century (the chronological collocation is suggested by the similarities with the work of another great contemporary still life specialist, Pietro Navarra...

This stunning Dutch 17th century Old Master still life oil painting is attributed to the circle of Jan Davidsz de Heem. Painted circa 1660 it is a magnificent vibrant painting of gra...

Olio su tela. Scuola italiana del XVII secolo. La grande composizione presenta una varietà di alimenti su un tavolo di cucina: a sinistra un grande canestro di vimini pieno di ortag...

Ornate Classical Fruit Still Life Italian School, 17th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 22 x 27 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very good and sound condi...

"Cassetta" frame in sculpted, carved, gilded wood. Expertise by Gianluca Bocchi.

This stunning 17th century Dutch Old Master Golden Age floral oil painting is by noted Dutch artist Simon Pietersz Verelst. The full attribution...

Still life with playing cards, coral, shells, a jewelry box and a stone sculpture Oil on canvas We'd like to thank dr. Fred Meijer for his attribution. Carstian Luyckx was a 17th ...

This lovely 17th century Old Master floral oil painting is attributed to the circle of noted Franco Flemish artist Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer. Painted circa 1670 it is a still life of a ...

Pieter Boel, Flemish Old Master, painted this stunning 17th century still life oil painting. Painted circa 1660 it is a large and impressive still life with dead game surrounded by f...

This superb trompe l'oeil painting is in the typical manner and quality of the Antwerp Jesuit master Daniel Seghers. Painted circa 1650, the central cartouche, most probably the wor...

This superb trompe l'oeil painting is in the circle and quality of the Antwerp Jesuit master Daniel Seghers. Painted circa 1650, the central cartouche, most probably the work of ano...

A fine Dutch still life Old Master by Leendert de Laeff which is signed and dated 1664. This oil on canvas on panel depicts a still life of fruit with insects and butterflies. A supe...

David Cornelisz de Heem (1663 – 1701) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in still lifes. He was born in Leiden, the Netherlands, to the painter Cornelis de Heem and his w...

Felice Boselli (Piacenza, 1650 - Parma, 1732) Still life with two women Oil on canvas, 98.5 x 164 cm Frame 108 x 175.5 The refined composition depicting a floral still life with...

Antonio Tibaldi known as the Count (Rome, 1633 - documented until 1675) Still life with musical instruments, sheet music and riser with sweets Oil on canvas, cm 120 x 169 Frame, 1...

Suiveur De Cornelis De Heem (1631-1695) Bouquet de fleurs dans un vase, huile sur toile (oil on canvas). 69x56,5 cm

Francesca Volò Smiller, called Vincenzina (Milan, 1657 - 1700) - circle of Floral composition Oil on canvas (97 x 72 cm. - in octagonal frame 100 x 84 cm.) A rich floral compositio...

Artista attivo in ambito lombardo nel primo quarto del XVII secolo Natura morta con frutti, verdure e vaso con fiori su un ripiano in pietra Olio su tela cm. 115 x 170 Studio del ...

Flemish school of the 17th century Oil on canvas 52 x 60 cm (66 x 76 cm with the frame) Very beautiful old frame in gilded wood Good condition (a few repaints and craquelures) The style of our painting reminds the first period of Flemish still life of the 17th century, very descriptive and meticulous. We think of painters such as Osias Beert, Jacob van Es and Clara Peeters...

NORTHERN ARTIST ACTIVE IN ROME IN THE LAST QUARTER OF THE XVII CENTURY Still life with vase of flowers, fruits and architectural ruins The painting is part of a pair: the twin can...

NORTHERN ARTIST ACTIVE IN ROME IN THE LAST QUARTER OF THE XVII CENTURY Still life with flowers, fruits, historiated vases, a parrot and a monkey The painting is part of a pair: th...

This late 17th-century Italian still life painting depicts an urn with flowers, a dish of fruit, porcelain bottle and bird. It was previously in the co...

Aniello Ascione (Naples, fl. 1680-1708) A still life of flowers in an urn with a parrot, melon, pomegranates and figs at its base, a view to an ornamental garden beyond Oil on canvas 59 3/4 x 39 3/4 in Provenance The Alexander Family Collection, Milford House, Co. Carlow, Ireland The latter half of the 17th century and earlier 18th century marked the golden age of Neapolitan still-life painting and Aniello Ascione was one of its most highly regarded exponents. His sumptuous paintings, brimming with fecund produce of the Mediterranean and painted in rich colours, were eagerly sought after by those who wished to decorate their palaces in that city. Naples in the seventeenth century had established a significant reputation and artistic tradition of producing flamboyant and technically excellent still-lifes which had largely been initiated by Caravaggio who, having stated that it required as much effort to paint a good flower piece as a figure subject, helped to revolutionise and eventually abolish the closed attitude to genres of painting. Caravaggio maintained that art was the mirror of nature and his superb Basket of Fruit, now in the Ambrosiana in Milan and painted in 1597, marked the birth of European still-life painting. Throughout the 17th century, Neapolitan still-life painting was founded on the principles demonstrated by Caravaggio and these artists seem to have been the only ones to correctly understand and utilise his ideas. These paintings were noted for their vibrant portrayals of flowers, often in great abundance, fruit and birds done in an elegant and decorative manner. Luca Forte (c.1615- c.1670) was one of the first Neapolitan artists to adopt the Caravaggesque naturalism in this genre of painting and with exceptional creativity sweeping through the city in the 1630s, he was soon followed by Paolo Porpora and Guiseppe and Giovanni Battista Recco and the Ruoppolo family. When Abraham Brueghel arrived in Naples in about 1670, his influence accelerated the transition of the portrayal of still-life to a more baroque style often epitomised by a mass of flowers, cascading over classical objects like water. This more baroque style was taken up by a new generation of painters and one of the first and most prominent of these was Andrea Belvedere (1652-c.1732). He taught Nicola Casissa and other artists working in a similar vein included Gasparo Lopez (called Gasparo di Fiori) d. circa 1732, Paolo Porpora (1617-1663) and Nicola Malinconico (1663-1721). The aforementioned Ruoppolo family were also eminent and Giovan Battista Ruoppolo (1619-1693) instructed the young Aniello Ascione. His pupil became one of the most celebrated representatives of Neapolitan Baroque which combined the traditional naturalism favoured by the city with the new 18th century decorative style. This style proved highly popular with the more secular Neapolitan middle classes as well as the aristocracy and royalty to furnish their grand homes. They loved the harmonious colouring and composition suffused with exuberance Ascione became the most prominent still-life painter in Naples at the transition from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. His paintings, which are often of a significant size, utilise intense decorative colours with an abundance of flowers and piles of fruit such as pomegranates, grapes, peaches, pears, melons and plums. Sometimes these spill down stone steps or are draped or stacked with flowers among classical statuary and there is often a view to a landscape or ornamental garden beyond to give the composition depth. Accompanying the fruit and flowers, Ascione occasionally added parrots, dogs or rabbits and he often signed with a monogram comprised of interlocking As although there are some works signed in entirety. His smaller pieces tended to be more intimate in construction with one looking at just different fruits with some of its foliage so that the different hues and skin textures could interact and to some extent, these reflect the legacy of Abraham Brueghel. One very rare piece, now in the Castellino collection in Naples, is a kitchen interior with a skinned lamb which owes its influence to Guiseppe Recco. There is a fine set of the Four Seasons, which also incorporates putti into the compositions and which are believed to have been contributed by Nicola Vaccaro (1659-1720) the son of Andrea Vaccaro...

Francesco Noletti known as the Maltese (Malta 1611-Rome 1654) Workshop/circle of Still life with musical instruments, toys, armour, textiles and precious objects Oil on canvas (52 x...

STILL LIFE WITH BIRDS AND RAISINS, WORKSHOP OF FRANS SNYDERS (1579-1657) An exquisite and attractive work, our painting with its rich and harmonious composition is one of the remarkable examples of the passion of art lovers of the 17th century for still lifes, the genre in full ferment in Antwerp in early 17th century, long before its arrival to Paris in the 1630s & 40s. Our painting presents on an entablature covered with wine-colored velvet cloth, various objects in an artistic arrangement which is intended to be spontaneous. The tight framing, like an extract and the piled up objects suggest a plenitude and an infinite richness of what nature can offer and reinforce the feeling of prosperity. The wicker basket overflowing with translucent bunches of grapes in green and purplish hues with icy reflections dominates the right side of the painting. In the center is the game birds, partridge, snipe, sparrow, pincon and others, each bird with a fine and precise design, transparent plumage, the meticulous rendering of the different beak or leg parts, zebrures and streaks of the down. On the left, two stacked white and blue Chinese...

Oil on canvas Image size: 23 1/4 x 19 1/2 inches (59 x 50 cm) Dutch Ripple frame PROVENANCE Private Collection, London Here a glass vase containing an exuberant display of flowers stands on a ledge. With only one known exception, Verelst included vases in all of his flower paintings. The asymmetrical arrangement of the flowers fills most of the canvas and the vibrant bouquet contains peonies, a bearded iris and a poppy set amidst a perfusion of twisting leaves and stems. Poppies were one of Verelst's favourite flowers and were commonly featured in his still life's. This painting shows a superb understanding of light and colour that is consistent with Verelst's other works. Indeed, the strong contrast between the brightly lit, the colourful blossoms and the surrounding darkness lends to the flowers and foliage a hyper realistic quality and a strong sense of three-dimensionality. The Artist Verelst was born in The Hague in 1644 and came from a family of painters. His brothers Johannes and Herman also became painters and, like Simon, were trained by their father. In 1663 Simon became a member of the Confrérie Pictura, the painter's association in The Hague, and soon afterwards moved to nearby Vooburg with his brother Herman, who also painted flowers. In 1668 Simon he moved to London where the Duke of Buckingham became his principle patron and on 11 April 1669 he met with Samuel Pepys. He was enormously successful in London and his elegant portraits became popular for a time during the 1670s among court circles. He painted this portrait of Prince Rupert, son of Frederick V, Count Palatine and Elizabeth Stuart...

This unpublished composition is a recent addition to Adeodato Zuccati’s catalog. The study of this painting by Gianluca Bocchi, an Italian art historian specializing in Italian still lives, is available upon request. This composition is typical of the productions of Adeodato Zuccati, an Emilian painter...

Hendrick Bloemaert An Allegory of Justitia protecting Innocence from Calumny, Treachery and Deceit signed and dated 'HBloemaert fc. 1638' (HB linked, lower right, on the pedestal) oil on canvas 85.5 x 110.3 cm Provenance H. Hoogers, Nijmegen, 7 June 1816, lot 6, as Cornelis Bloemaert. J. Brolsma, Ede, 1957. with Baer, The Hague, 1960. Collection Hirschberg, The Hague. Anonymous sale; Heerlen, 10 April 1962, lot 121 (as measuring 68 x 108 cm.) Sale of Christie's Amsterdam: Tuesday, November 25, 2014 [Lot 00045] Old Masters, 19th Century and Impressionist Art Literature Marcel Roethlisberger, Abraham Bloemaert...

This painting is typical of the art of Jan Weenix, one of the best still life and hunting painters of the Dutch Golden Age. In a cleverly disordered manner, he depicts ten studies of dogs (mainly spaniels and greyhounds) and the sumptuous study of a stole. These studies were probably intended to be used as a source of inspiration and adapted in the painter's compositions, as we will see in a close examination of some of his paintings. 1. Jan Weenix, a prolific still life painter Jan Weenix was born into a family of artists: his father Jan Baptist Weenix (1621 - 1659) was also a landscape and still life painter and his mother Josyntgen d'Hondecoeter was the daughter of the animal painter Gillis d'Hondecoeter (1575 - 1638). His father trained him together with his cousin Melchior d'Hondecoeter (1636 - 1695). In 1664 Jan Weenix became a member of the St. Luke's Guild in Utrecht, to which he belonged until 1668. In 1679 he married Pieternella Backer with whom he had 13 children. His compositions, often related to hunting (still lifes, portraits of hunters) were very successful, ensuring him a certain financial ease. Jan Weenix also painted large-scale decorations: while staying in Düsseldorf with the Prince-Elector of the Palatinate between 1702 and 1712, he executed twelve gigantic compositions combining landscapes, hunting scenes and still life for the Bensberg hunting lodge. 2. Description of the artwork The painting displays a great apparent disorder that hides a rigorous organisation in four quarters. It presents ten studies of hunting dogs and one study of a stole. The studies of the stole and of two of the dogs (the greyhound in the lower right and the spaniel in the upper right quarter) are quite elaborate, whereas those of the other dogs are sketchier. As an example, the dog in the upper right corner is only partially painted. The dogs' coats, of different colours - brown, sandy, grey or black - stand out against the warm brown background and are illuminated by the shine of their white hair. This white colour, probably executed with ceruse white, illuminates the study of a stole which stands out in the lower left-hand corner while the red colour of its lining warms up the composition. The purpose of this stole is enigmatic: we think it is probably a neckband, but it could also be the back of the turban of an oriental character. To the right of this stole is the outline of a long animal leg, perhaps a horse leg. Similar studies are rare in the work of Jan Weenix, but the Rijksmuseum recently acquired the study of a seated monkey. This study, executed in the same brown chromatic range, is much more accomplished. It has been reused with minimal change in many compositions. It is likely that Jan Weenix had less frequently a monkey at his disposal, and that he therefore depicted it in great details, whereas he could probably easily find dogs as models. Note the characteristic white dot in the corner of each pupil that brings them to life! 3. Related artworks We have tried to relate the various dogs in this study to the countless dogs that appear in the paintings of Jan Weenix, as listed in the catalogue 'Father and Son - Weenix' compiled by Anke van Wagenberg- Ter Hoeven in 2018. A first example is the painting entitled "The Prodigal Son on the Steps of a Palace" (catalogue number 7 - 8th photo in the gallery). In the lower left-hand corner of the composition, a spaniel is barking at a peacock perched on a stone. This spaniel, which is depicted in a similar manner in the "Portrait of a Young Man with a Falcon" in the Bremen Kunsthalle (catalogue number 76), is reminiscent of the spaniel in the upper left-hand quarter of our study (although the latter is slenderer and the direction of its head differs). We also find, in a slightly different pose, the seated greyhound that is at the top of our painting in the composition representing "A Swan, a Stag, a Hare and Birds presented by two hunting Valets" (catalogue number 130 - last photo in the gallery). The sketch of this greyhound in our study is unfinished: the painter only painted the grey undercoat and the white parts of the coat, without completing the sandy coat which appears in the final painting. We can see from these various examples that our study was probably more a repertoire of forms than a model for a specific composition. The painter probably used it for inspiration before adapting each dog study...

Oil on panel, monogrammed mid left Image size: 15 x 12 1/4 inches (38 x 31 cm) Dutch ripple style frame Loeding was born in Leiden in around 1637 and was admitted into the Leiden Guild of St Luke in 1664. Like other Dutch cities, Leiden required membership in the guilds in order to sell wares falling under the various specifications. There is no record of his artistic training or influences, but he likely belonged to the circle of artists including Pieter de Ring and Gerrit Dou, who founded and maintained the Guild.  Loeding is last registered as a member in 1673. One of the most versatile genres that emerged from Dutch 17th Century artistic specialisms is that of 'pronkstilleven'; a laden table with a variety of rich textures, like ornate glassware, gilded goblets, exquisite nautilus cups...