Jan Weenix (1642–1719)
Still Life of Dead Game, 1698
Oil on canvas

The Dutch painter Jan Weenix (1642–1719) was highly esteemed by the aristocracy and the wealthy bourgeoisie in the Netherlands, Germany, Britain and elsewhere. He painted portraits, landscapes and genre scenes, but is best known for his still-life compositions featuring game animals and wildfowl, works that still testify to his technical brilliance and his flair for dramatic staging.

This large painting in The David Collection depicts a dead peacock hanging by its legs, tied to a large, lidded vase that appears to form part of a terrace layout. The peacock’s body rests against the base of the vase, while its limp neck and heavy head lie flat on the ground, surrounded by other dead birds and fruit. At the right-hand side of the picture, we find the only living creature in the composition: a small monkey, surrounded by flowers and gazing towards the left, where we can just discern a round, half-open terrace with a central fountain. Beyond it, a park-like landscape with large trees extends into the background.

In the 1670s, Weenix began to devote himself seriously to still-life painting, and over the following decades he developed a distinctive compositional structure. As in this painting, he often arranged game and fowl – both dead and alive – so that a vase and animals occupy one side of the composition, while a luxuriant garden landscape with statues, buildings or a gateway fills the other.¹

Here Weenix demonstrates his assured command of the subject. His precise rendering of plumage, flowers and fruit reveals great technical skill as well as a keen sensitivity to tactile qualities and dramatic effect. The composition is structured around a clear centre of gravity on the right-hand side, where the dead game and the fruit create a strong visual focus. The colourful feathers and the soft forms of the fruit contrast with the golden and red tones of the sunset and with the deep darkness that envelops much of the scene, making it difficult to distinguish the various spatial planes. Another striking feature of the painting is the light, which not only creates a sense of realism and depth, but also heightens the overall drama.

Other still-life paintings in The David Collection include B 286 and B 337.