Still Life with Poultry

Here we see a rooster, a chicken, a snipe and a woodpecker hanging by their legs, not a particularly tasteful scene. Here the painter was interested in the deceptively genuine portrayal of the dead birds and their plumage. In the 17th century there was a market for paintings of this kind. In fact, according to the 17th-century artists' biographer Houbraken, Van Aelst's hunt still lifes fetched a good price and were in demand among kings and princes.

Purchased in 1895, with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt.