Hare and a wild duck are beautifully depicted in this pair of still lifes. The two animals are painted realistically and hanging from a tree. In the background, a mountainous landscape opens up in the distance. The meticulous workmanship and the finesse of the brush exemplify the artist`s training. Since the Middle Ages, hunting had been the preserve of the aristocracy. Hunting still lifes depicting the kill were a reminder of this privilege, and gave their owners a sense of participating in the aristocratic lifestyle; whether they themselves were of noble, or only affluent middle-class birth. Paintings like this large-scale still life by the artist were accordingly popular in the second half of the seventeenth century, not least of all among newly wealthy Dutch merchants, trade magnates and large-scale investors.
