Landscape with Poultry and a Peacock
Painting on canvas • Circle of Melchior d'Hondecoeter or Adriaen van Utrecht; possibly School of Jan Fyt.
Style & Movement
Dutch/Flemish Baroque, specifically 'Animalier' or animal-life painting.
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas, employing Dutch Golden Age techniques of fine glazing, chiaroscuro for dramatic lighting, and detailed animalier rendering.
Creation Period
Circa 1660–1690
Dimensions & Format
Large scale, approximately 120 x 150 cm; Landscape format.
Subject Description
The composition features a variety of domestic and exotic fowl, including a prominent rooster perched on straw and a peacock silhouetted against the sky. A rabbit occupies the foreground, while a pheasant and heron appear near a body of water in the middle ground. The background depicts a pastoral Dutch landscape with a village and figures.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Good to Very Good. The varnish appears slightly yellowed, common for its age, but the paint film remains stable.
Estimated Market Value
$15,000 - $35,000 USD (subject to confirmation of specific artist hand).
Auction Estimate
$10,000 - $25,000 USD.
Provenance History
Likely part of an aristocratic collection or high-end estate. Housed in a later gilded 'Louis' style frame suggesting 19th-century salon placement.
Art Historical Significance
Illustrates the 17th-century fascination with exoticism and the status symbol of owning private menageries. It reflects the pinnacle of Dutch realism in capturing bird plumage and atmospheric depth.
Notable Features
The dramatic 'low horizon' characteristic of the period; the high-contrast lighting on the rooster's feathers; and the inclusion of both domestic and rare wild birds in a single narrative landscape.
Condition Issues
Visible surface craquelure throughout; minor yellowing of old varnish layers; slight abrasions near the frame edges.
Conservation Recommendations
Professional surface cleaning and removal of aged varnish; re-varnishing with non-yellowing synthetic resin; UV-filtered lighting and stable humidity levels.