Paintings of 1660
The ostentatious display of killed animals after hunt had a representational and symbolic function. The motif of a dead animal hanging upside down – an actual hunting custom – had been taken over by 17th century Dutch painters from earlier artists such as Jacopo de’ Barbari and Lucas Cranach the Elder.
The picture depicts a still-life with peaches and grapes fallen from an over-turned basket, resting on a partly-draped marble ledge. The painting has been reduced from a vertical to horizontal format, resulting in the loss of the signature.
















