1642 -1719 · Utrecht, Amsterdam and Düsseldorf

Peacocks, hares, dogs and Italianate ports make Jan Weenix a master of the monumental hunting trophy and the aristocratic spectacle of nature.

Jan Weenix was born in Amsterdam around 1642. He was trained by his father Jan Baptist Weenix, painter of landscapes, Mediterranean ports and Italianate scenes. After his early death, Jan pursued a career between Utrecht and Amsterdam, first developing the same subjects of port, ruin and fantasy figures. Southern seaport with trinket seller shows this heritage: warm architecture, picturesque commerce and marine horizon transform an imaginary place into a theater of travel. The fantasy characters in a boat with a cistrum player belong to the same taste for elegant sociability and invented elsewhere. Weenix becomes especially famous for his hunting still lifes. Dead game in front of a landscape combines feathers, fur, stone and vegetation with spectacular precision. In Still Life with Peacock and Dog, the blue and green shine of the plumage responds to the attention of the living dog, opposing trophy, vigilance and luxury. These large-format paintings are intended for aristocratic residences and celebrate both hunting, wealth and the painter's ability to compete with each material. At the beginning of the 18th century, Weenix worked for the palatine dwellings Johann Wilhelm in Düsseldorf and created vast hunting decorations for the Bensberg castle. At the beginning of the 18th century, Weenix worked for the aristocratic residences and celebrated both hunting, wealth and the painter's ability to compete with each material. At the beginning of the 18th century, Weenix worked for the palatine voter Johann Wilhelm in Düsseldorf and created vast hunting decorations for the Bensberg castle. At the beginning of the 18th century, Weenix worked for the aristocratic residences and celebrated both hunting, wealth and the painter's ability to compete with be distinguished from those of his son: the catalog selected here only illustrates Jan Weenix. Died in Amsterdam in 1719, he carried the tradition of still life of game towards a decorative monumentality which would have a lasting influence on European painters. The "Jan Weenix" selection notably compares Southern Sea Port with trinket seller and Dead Game in front of a landscape. His reading favors composition.

Weenix makes the trophy a landscape: feather, fur, stone, sky and the dog's gaze together compose a scene where luxury remains crossed by life.