Still Life with Grapes and Game
Frans Snyders·c. 1630
Historical Context
Frans Snyders's Still Life with Grapes and Game, painted around 1630, combines fruit and dead game in a characteristic display of Flemish abundance. Snyders, who frequently collaborated with Rubens on the animal and still-life elements of larger compositions, was the undisputed master of large-scale still-life painting in Antwerp. His works celebrate the material abundance of the Spanish Netherlands with an energy and vitality that reflects the Rubensian aesthetic.
Technical Analysis
Snyders's oil-on-panel technique renders the grapes and game with remarkable textural variety. The translucent skin of the grapes, the soft feathers of the game birds, and the rough surfaces of the table are all differentiated with confident, energetic brushwork and rich, warm color.
Provenance
Oscar Winterbottom [b. 1891], Horton Hall, Northampshire; by descent in his family;[1] (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 8 July 2005, no. 50); (Johnny van Haeften Ltd., London, and Colnaghi, London); purchased 15 February 2006 by NGA. [1] This provenance is given in the catalogue of Christie's (London) 8 July 2005 sale. The Horton Hall mansion, sold c. 1899 to George Winterbottom [1861-1934], was demolished in 1936.
