Artwork
Still Life with Small Game, Basket of Fruit, Goldfinches and a Squirrel
Still Life with Small Game, Basket of Fruit, Goldfinches and a Squirrel is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Frans Snyders. It dates from 1625 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Still Life with Small Game, Basket of Fruit, Goldfinches and a Squirrel is a 1625 oil painting by Frans Snyders, exemplifying the Flemish Baroque style. The composition combines hunting spoils with domestic still life elements, creating a vibrant tableau.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the aftermath of a hunt on a table, with dead game birds, a partially consumed roasted bird, scattered feathers, and bones. A central basket overflows with grapes and plums, while a plate of pastries and a curious, lifelike squirrel add layers of meaning, contrasting abundance with consumption.
Technique & Style
Snyders employs characteristic Flemish Baroque detail and realism, achieving a sense of immediacy through the meticulous rendering of textures (feathers, fruit, pastry) and the dynamic pose of the squirrel, which appears to be reaching for the fruit.
History & Provenance
Created in 1625, the painting is now part of the collection at the Statens Museum for Kunst.
Context
This work reflects the Flemish Baroque movement's emphasis on detailed, realistic depictions of everyday life and the intersection of natural and domestic spheres.
Artist & collection
Artist
Frans Snyders or Frans Snijders was a Flemish painter of animals, hunting scenes, market scenes, and still lifes.
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