Artwork
Still life with fish and a cat behind the table
Still life with fish and a cat behind the table is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Alexander Adriaenssen. It dates from 1601 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Overview
The work belongs to the collection of Madrid’s Museo del Prado.
Created in 1601 by Flemish Baroque painter Alexander Adriaenssen, this oil on canvas presents a domestic still‑life scene centered on a chaotic assortment of fish laid upon a wooden tabletop. A cat perched nearby adds a narrative element, while the darkened background isolates the subjects, drawing the viewer’s eye to the textures and forms rendered with meticulous care. The work belongs to the collection of Madrid’s Museo del Prado.
Subject & Meaning
The composition juxtaposes the raw, open‑flayed fish with the attentive feline, suggesting a moment of predation and the everyday realities of food preparation in a 17th‑century household. By placing the cat in a contemplative pose, the artist introduces a subtle tension between the lifeless catch and the living observer, hinting at themes of mortality, consumption, and the quiet drama of domestic life.
Technique & Style
Adriaenssen employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, using a single light source to illuminate the glistening scales and wet interiors of the fish while casting deep shadows across the table and background. The contrast highlights the slick, reflective surfaces against the rough wooden texture, and the cat’s fur is rendered with soft, tactile brushwork that distinguishes it from the harsher, meat‑laden forms.
History & Provenance
Although the artist was active primarily in the Southern Netherlands, this painting entered the Spanish royal collections before being transferred to the Museo del Prado, where it remains on display. Its attribution to Adriaenssen has been confirmed through stylistic analysis and archival records linking the work to his known output of fish and game still‑lifes during the early Dutch Golden Age.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alexander Adriaenssen (1587–1661) was a Flemish Baroque painter, particularly known for his still-lifes of fish and game pieces. He also painted banquet pieces with food and flower still lifes.
