Artwork
Toter Hahn
Toter Hahn is an unspecified painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Cornelis Lelienbergh. It dates from 1653 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Cornelis Lelienbergh’s 1653 oil painting, titled *Toter Hahn*, presents a modest still‑life arrangement of dead game. The work is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. It captures a moment of stillness, focusing on a bird and a rabbit laid upon a plain table, rendered with restrained detail and a somber palette.
Subject & Meaning
The composition features a fallen bird with its wings spread and a curled rabbit, both rendered as lifeless specimens. By placing the animals in a seemingly casual cluster, the artist invites contemplation of mortality and the transitory nature of hunting trophies, a common moral theme in 17th‑century Dutch still‑life.
Technique & Style
Lelienbergh employs chiaroscuro, allowing a strong light from the left to model the forms against a dark background. This contrast gives the bird and rabbit a palpable volume and texture. The brushwork is precise in rendering feathers and fur, while the tabletop remains minimally detailed, emphasizing the contrast between the natural subjects and their setting.
History & Provenance
Created in 1653, the painting entered the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings at an unspecified later date, where it remains on display. Its attribution to Lelienbergh is based on stylistic analysis and documentation linking the work to his mid‑17th‑century output in the Dutch Republic.
Artist & collection
