Artwork
Stillleben mit totem Geflügel, Deckelkrug und Passglas
Stillleben mit totem Geflügel, Deckelkrug und Passglas is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan Baptist Weenix. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1650, this oil painting by Jan Baptist Weenix presents a compact still‑life arrangement. On a stone ledge lie two dead birds, a covered metal pitcher and a transparent glass vessel, all set against a dark, indistinct background that isolates the objects and emphasizes their material qualities.
Subject & Meaning
The composition juxtaposes the lifeless birds—one dark‑plumed, the other lighter in tone—with utilitarian containers, inviting contemplation of mortality and the transience of material goods. The inclusion of game and domestic vessels reflects a common 17th‑century Dutch motif that links the bounty of the hunt with everyday household items.
Technique & Style
Weenix renders the feathers and surfaces with meticulous detail, achieving a near‑photographic texture. A pronounced chiaroscuro scheme lights the birds sharply while the surrounding space recedes into shadow, heightening the three‑dimensional effect and drawing the viewer’s eye to the tactile contrasts between fur, metal and glass.
History & Provenance
The work belongs to the later phase of Weenix’s career, when he turned increasingly to large still‑life groupings featuring game. It entered the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s Dutch Golden Age holdings.
Context
During the mid‑17th century Dutch artists often employed still‑life subjects to demonstrate technical skill and to convey moral messages about the fleeting nature of life. Weenix, known also for Italianate landscapes and harbor scenes, applied the same compositional rigor to this genre, aligning his practice with contemporaries such as Willem Kalf and Pieter Claesz.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Baptist Weenix, also spelled Jan Baptiste Weeninx (1621–1659), was a painter of the Dutch Golden Age.
