Trompe-l'Oeil Still-Life

1669 · Private collection

still-life

This painting shows a trompe-l'oeil still-life of hunting equipment and a caged bird hanging from a wall. The brothers Johannes and Anthonie Leemans specialised in painting trompe-l'oeil hunting still-lifes usually featuring, as here, a game bag, a horn, whistles on ribbons and a caged bird displayed in a perfectly symmetrical composition against a plain background. The painting is signed and dated on the underside of the bird cage: J.

About the Artist

Johannes Leemans

1633 – 1688

Dutch painter. He was the younger brother of the painter Anthonie Leemans (c. 1630-1671). Both painters are known for still-life paintings of hunting paraphernalia and vanitas pieces. They made a profitable living making trompe-l'oeil paintings of hunting paraphernalia, birdcages, and weaponry. Johannes was also a wine dealer in addition to being a painter. He lived and worked in The Hague, but is registered in Amsterdam in 1671.

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