Still life with a Page

The dramatic, monumental composition set in a grand architectural interior is typical of Fyt’s work and of mid-seventeenth century Flemish still-life painting in general. A note of extra drama is added to the composition by the blood-stained cloth and the contrast of the dead game with the live monkey, dog and parrot. The boy appears to have been added by another artist: an attribution to Erasmus Quellinus has been suggested. The picture was thought to be by Frans Snyders (1579–1657) when purchased with a companion piece, Snyders’s Pantry Scene with a Page (P72).