Artwork

Trompe l'Oeil with Falconer's Bag and other Equipment for Falconry

Trompe l'Oeil with Falconer's Bag and other Equipment for Falconry is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts. It dates from 1671 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

About this work

Overview

Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts’ 1671 oil painting presents a carefully arranged assemblage of falconry paraphernalia rendered with such precision that the objects appear to protrude from the wall. A white bag with green straps, a feather‑adorned glove, and a long strap ending in a small basket are depicted against a muted background, inviting the viewer to question the boundary between painted illusion and reality.

Subject & Meaning

The work focuses on the tools of the falconer, a sport associated with aristocratic leisure in the 17th century. By isolating these items and presenting them as if they were real objects, the painting underscores the material culture of hunting while also playing with the viewer’s perception, suggesting that mastery extends beyond the hunt to the artist’s skill in deception.

Technique & Style

Gijsbrechts employs trompe‑l’œil, a visual trickery that relies on meticulous rendering of texture, light, and shadow. The softness of the feathered glove, the glossy sheen of the leather straps, and the grain of the wooden basket are achieved through layered glazing and fine brushwork, creating a convincing three‑dimensional effect that blurs the line between painting and object.

History & Provenance

Created during the Dutch Golden Age, the painting reflects Gijsbrechts’ reputation as a specialist in illusionistic still lifes. After a period of service at the Danish royal court, the work entered the collection of Denmark’s national gallery, the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display as a representative example of 17th‑century Flemish trompe‑l’œil.

Context

Falconry was a prestigious pastime among European nobility, and its equipment often featured in still‑life compositions that celebrated status and skill. Gijsbrechts’ choice of subject aligns with contemporary interests in both hunting culture and the intellectual curiosity of viewers who prized visual puzzles, situating the painting within broader trends of baroque realism and playful illusion.

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Artist & collection

Artist

Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts

Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts (1625/1629 – after 1675), was a Flemish painter who was active in the Spanish Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden in the second half of the seventeenth century.