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拍品专文
Having trained with Frans Snyders, Fyt undertook a study trip to Italy, working in Rome, Venice, Naples and Florence. While the subject of this painting is closely aligned with works he would have encountered in Snyders’s studio, his treatment reveals the impact of his Italian sojourn. The more subdued tonalities of the landscape and the handling of certain still-life elements – notably the open melon – recall Neapolitan models, particularly those of Giovan Battista Recco (circa 1615–circa 1660).
While Fyt is primarily known for his paintings of game and hunting trophies, this composition includes specimens of a more exotic nature. Both the guinea pig and the cockatoo should be understood within the context of the burgeoning trade in exotic animals that emerged during the seventeenth century as global trade routes expanded. Guinea pigs were introduced to Europe from South America in the late sixteenth century and quickly became prized as rare pets. The rulers of the Spanish Netherlands, the Archdukes Albert and Isabella, for instance, maintained an extensive aviary and several small menageries, to which they added three guinea pigs in 1612. Cockatoos likewise became coveted status symbols throughout the seventeenth century. Although Fyt occasionally incorporated exotic birds – including red macaws and African grey parrots – this is one of the rare occasions on which he included a cockatoo. The snarling polecat at lower left introduces a note of drama and tension, a device frequently employed by Snyders in his large kitchen scenes populated with cats or monkeys.
While Fyt is primarily known for his paintings of game and hunting trophies, this composition includes specimens of a more exotic nature. Both the guinea pig and the cockatoo should be understood within the context of the burgeoning trade in exotic animals that emerged during the seventeenth century as global trade routes expanded. Guinea pigs were introduced to Europe from South America in the late sixteenth century and quickly became prized as rare pets. The rulers of the Spanish Netherlands, the Archdukes Albert and Isabella, for instance, maintained an extensive aviary and several small menageries, to which they added three guinea pigs in 1612. Cockatoos likewise became coveted status symbols throughout the seventeenth century. Although Fyt occasionally incorporated exotic birds – including red macaws and African grey parrots – this is one of the rare occasions on which he included a cockatoo. The snarling polecat at lower left introduces a note of drama and tension, a device frequently employed by Snyders in his large kitchen scenes populated with cats or monkeys.