The Cock and the Jewel
manner of Melchior d'Hondecoeter (Utrecht 1636 - Amsterdam 1695)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1670 - 1699
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1219 x 1651 mm (48 x 65 in)
Place of origin
Holland
Order this imageCollection
Powis Castle and Garden, Powys
NT 1180965
Caption
This lively scene of poultry outside a hen-house is rooted in the tradition of bird painting popularised by the Dutch artist Melchior de Hondecoeter. The artist’s works were favoured by wealthy magnates of the Netherlands and he also received patronage from William III, Prince of Orange and later King of England. The popularity of such pictures in British country houses can be connected to the increasing fashion for rustic rural imagery towards the end of the seventeenth century.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, The Cock and the Jewel, manner of Melchior de Hondecoeter (Utrecht 1636 – Amsterdam 1695), bears indistinct signature ...Honde... and date. A depiction of a fable attributed to Aesop. Adult birds and chicks in a corner of a farmyard. A jewelled pendant rests on the floor between the cock and white chicken.
Provenance
Brought to Powis Castle from Walcot Hall in 1930. Accepted by HM Treasury on 21st March, 1963 in lieu of tax and conveyed to National Trust ownership on 29th November 1963.
Credit line
Powis Castle, The Powis Collection (National Trust)
Makers and roles
manner of Melchior d'Hondecoeter (Utrecht 1636 - Amsterdam 1695), artist