Willem van Aelst combined precise depictions of nature with mythological references in his hunting still lifes. His work is exemplary of the detailed and symbolic still life art of the Dutch Baroque.
Hunting still life with symbolic power
A few freshly shot partridges, a popular hunting prey thanks to their low flying altitude, are displayed in a simple niche. Their Latin name Perdix refers to an episode from classical poetry, the Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid (VIII, 236-259): It tells how Perdix or Talos, a highly gifted pupil of Daedalus, aroused the envy of his teacher through special achievements such as the invention of a saw and compass and fell victim to an assassination attempt, but was then transformed into a partridge by Minerva, the patron goddess of crafts.
Willem van Aelst is one of the outstanding specialists for hunting still lifes, which are characterized by their anatomical precision and closeness to nature. The painter began his artistic career in Delft, the center of “fine painting”, famous for its technical precision and attention to detail, which fascinated the European collecting elite until the 18th century. Willem van Aelst was also an extremely cosmopolitan artist, whose travels included France and the Medici court in Florence.
The level of taste in Amsterdam, which the prosperity of the so-called 'Golden Age' had turned into a luxury metropolis, proved to be no less selective. The painter spent the last decades of his life here, surrounded by a clientele that was as discerning as it was wealthy.
Text: Ulrich Becker