Hunting and Fruit Still Life next to a Garden Vase, with a Monkey, Dog and two Doves, in the distance Rijksdorp near Wassenaar, Seat of Jacob Emmery, Baron of Wassenaar

Jan Weenix (1642 - 1719). Still life with the estate of Rijksdorp in the background, 1714. The game and the birds provide proof of a successful hunt. The estate in the background is the country house Rijksdorp, near Wassenaar. No doubt the painting was commissioned by the owner, Jonkheer Jacob Emmery van Wassenaer. Weenix was the son of Jan Baptist Weenix, a painter of landscapes and still lifes. The younger Weenix devoted himself mainly to hunt still lifes. He generally painted game and birds against the background of a garden-like landscape. Paintings of this sort were highly prized by wealthy art lovers; in this way outdoor life and the hunt could be enjoyed indoors as well. From 1800 in the National Konst-Gallery in Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, the precursor of the Rijksmuseum.