The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Hare, Spoonbill, and Fish

Hare, Spoonbill, and Fish

mid-1600s
oil on canvas
Framed: 128.5 x 159 x 8 cm (50 9/16 x 62 5/8 x 3 1/8 in.); Unframed: 99.5 x 128.5 cm (39 3/16 x 50 9/16 in.)
Holden Collection 1916.1001
Location: not on view

Description

Recently conserved, this striking painting of fish and game has yet to be attributed to a specific artist. Art historians have considered Dutch, Spanish, or Italian artists as possibilities, including the Dutch still-life and animal specialist Frans Snyders and the Spanish artist Alejandro de Loarte. But both have been rejected on stylistic grounds. An Italian artist is more plausible; the vaguely rendered, reddish background and the fluid handling of paint, especially in the portrayal of the fish, are characteristic of an Italian hand. The composition, which emphasizes the space between the creatures with strong highlights and deep shadows, also points to an Italian artist, possibly from a Northern Italian city such as Genoa.
  • Mrs. Liberty E. Holden, Cleveland. Holden Collection, 1914, by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1916.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. Reproduced: p. 457; Mentioned: 456
    Rubinstein-Bloch, Stella. Catalogue of a Collection of Paintings, Etc. Presented by Mrs. Liberty E. Holden to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1917. Mentioned: p. 42, cat. no. 48 archive.org
    G. U. "The Holden Collection." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 4, no. 2 (1917): 19-34. Mentioned: p. 21 www.jstor.org
  • The Magic of Still Life. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 4, 1986-February 1, 1987).
    CMA, October 21, 1986-March 8, 1987: The Magic of Still-Life, Gallery A. no cat.
    Baroque Imagery. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 6, 1984-January 6, 1985).
    Cleveland, November 6, 1984-January 6, 1985 "Baroque Imagery,' cat. # 36.
    Seventeenth Century Dutch Painting. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 18-June 8, 1959).
    Inaugural Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (co-organizer) (June 6-September 20, 1916).
  • {{cite web|title=Hare, Spoonbill, and Fish|url=false|author=|year=mid-1600s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1001