Artwork
Hens, Ducks and a Turkey Cock
Hens, Ducks and a Turkey Cock is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Adriaen van Utrecht. It dates from 1633 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Adrien van Utrecht’s oil painting *Hens, Ducks and a Turkey Cock* (1633) presents a bustling farm tableau populated by domestic fowl. Executed in the Flemish Baroque style, the work captures a moment of lively interaction among birds set against a modest rural backdrop.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a proud turkey flanked by ducks and chickens that wander near a wooden cage. The arrangement suggests a celebration of everyday abundance, emphasizing the vitality of rural life and the visual pleasure of observing animals in motion.
Technique & Style
Van Utrecht employs warm, earthy tones and a fluid brushstroke that convey the texture of feathers and the sheen of plumage. The handling of light across the birds and the subtle atmospheric hints in the sky create depth while maintaining a sense of immediacy.
History & Provenance
Created in the early 1630s, the painting reflects van Utrecht’s specialization in still lifes and market scenes. It entered the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains part of the institution’s Flemish Baroque holdings.
Context
Working alongside contemporaries such as Frans Snyders, van Utrecht contributed to the development of the *pronkstilleven*—a genre that highlighted opulent displays of food, game, and domestic objects. This work exemplifies that tradition through its detailed rendering of poultry and modest interior elements.
Artist & collection
Artist
Adriaen van Utrecht (Antwerp, 12 January 1599 – 1652) was a Flemish painter known mainly for his sumptuous banquet still lifes, game and fruit still lifes, fruit garlands, market and kitchen scenes and depictions of live poultry in…
