FOWL WITH A RABBIT, A DUCK, GOOSE AND TURKEY IN A LANDSCAPE
oil on canvas
102 x 122cm; 40 x 48in
(unframed)

Property from a Private Collection, London

Provenance:
Charles Noel, 3rd Earl of Gainsborough (1850-1926)
The Hon. and Mrs Charles Noel (son and daughter-in-law of the above)
Colonel Archibald Noel (son of the above)
Thence by descent to the present owner (son of the above)

Jacomo (or Jacobus) Victors was the step-brother of Jan Victors (1619-1679), painter of genre and biblical scenes. Jacomo travelled widely, including through Italy, hence the Italianising of his name. A direct contemporary of leading animalier and fellow Dutchman Melchior d'Hondecoeter (1636-1695), he focused on painting poultry, game and related animal subjects at a time when the genre was enjoying its own particular Golden Age. Whether depicting the dramatic plumage of a turkey or the soft down of a swan, Jacomo became a master at describing the very quick of the being in front of him: their individual beauty, their particular character traits, their alert and beady eyes and the rich textures of their feathers, beaks, pelts and claws, creating elaborate compositions featuring multiple fowl and game. His carefully crafted and detailed visual celebrations of such familiar furry and feathered farmyard friends was in marked contrast to their likely fate: the cooking pot. In the process, the subject became a stark reminder of the transience of life, and the genre its very own form of momento mori.