Contact gallery for price		Melchoir de Hondecoeter Utrecht 1636 - 1695 Amsterdam A Still Life of Hunting Game Oil on canvas 32 x 25 inches (81.3 x 63.8 cm) Signed: MdHondecoeter Melchoir de Hondecoeter was a pupil of his father, Gysbert de Hondecoeter and of his uncle Jan Baptist Weenix, both painters of animals and landscapes.  From 1659 to 1663 he lived in The Hague and later in Amsterdam where he spent the rest of his life.  Melchoir's specialty was the depiction of poultry, waterfowl and exotic birds; he dramatically emphasized color and texture of their feathers and also paid attention to the posture types of specific species.  Compositions were set in peasant poultry farms, park-like landscapes or isolated game and hunting still lifes.  De Hondecoeter was prolific and had a large œuvre; he was highly esteemed by his contemporaries and often imitated. Gaming and hunting still lifes were a favorite motif in Netherlandish painting. Many of the large format game still lifes reflected the interests and spheres of royalty and nobility but nonetheless were appreciated by everyone.  The variety of forms, objects and textures provided the artist an opportunity to show off his draughtsmanship skills and painterly talent.  This is most evident in our painting which De Hondecoeter executes with the most refined brushwork and attention to precise detail. Our composition is dominated by a dead pheasant that hangs from a hook, its limp form draped against a stone slab surrounded by the hunting tools which caused its demise.  A soft light illuminates the hunting tackle, gently emerging the arrangement from the dark recess of the vaulted niche where it is set.  Highlights accentuate the variety of minute details which De Hondecoeter executes in tight, precise brushstrokes. These are most evident in the bird's feathers, the individual hairs on the fur flask, the wood-figuring on the gun and the soft suede of the powder bag, which all create unending interest within the objects themselves.  The rifle sits on the diagonal, echoed in the vaulted ceiling above, gently counter-balancing the strong verticals of the right side wall and the foul's extended leg.  De Hondecoeter utilizes a combination of contrasting light and dark with subtle gradations of earth tones to soften the composition, gracing it with quiet elegance.