Willem van Aelst
Dead Birds and Hunting Gear
From $100
This painting is pearl grey, violet and kingfisher blue, and a cheap copy crushes the dark ground. Our van Aelst Still Life with Fowl print was graded from a high-resolution master so every feather keeps its sheen.
Canvas, framed or paper
Stretched canvas. Printed on cotton canvas and stretched taut over a frame. The edges are mirror-wrapped, so the picture continues around the sides and none of it is lost to the fold.
Framed canvas. The same canvas, set in a black, white, natural wood or dark wood frame 0.83 in deep. The frame gives the work a finished edge and a little more presence on the wall.
Framed print. Printed on fine art matte paper and framed in solid pine, behind shatterproof plexiglass, in black, white, natural wood or dark wood. It arrives ready to hang. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame.
Fine art print. Printed on 310gsm fine art matte paper, for framing your own way. It travels rolled and protected. From 18x24 inch.
Sizes
16x20 inch, 24x30 inch, 32x40 inch. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.
On your wall
Its tall shape suits a study, a hallway or a living room wall. The greys, violets and blues look rich with cream, slate and walnut, and a black or gold frame suits it.
About the painting
Still Life with Fowl by Willem van Aelst
A hunter’s table
In 1658 van Aelst hung two roosters, a water rail and a bright kingfisher by their feet above a marble slab, and painted them in subtle greys, violets and blues.
Painted or real?
Flies settle on the birds. The Rijksmuseum asks: are they painted, or real? Van Aelst signed it with his name, “alias”, and a tiny stick figure.
From Florence
He had just come home from Florence, where he was court painter to the Medici. He later taught Rachel Ruysch. The Rijksmuseum bought this painting in 1896.
Read the story
Against a dark wall, birds hang by their feet above a pink marble slab. Two roosters, one with white feathers, one dark and glossy. A small water rail. And a kingfisher, a flash of blue and orange among the grey.
Willem van Aelst painted them in Amsterdam in 1658, when he was thirty-one. He had been a master painter since the age of sixteen, and had just come home from years abroad: in France, and then in Florence, where he was court painter to the Medici and was given a gold chain and medal. A fight in Rome had ended his Italian career.
Look closely and you will see flies on the feathers. The Rijksmuseum asks a good question: are they painted, or are they real?
What makes this picture special is its colour: soft greys, violets and blues, arranged into an elegant composition. Even in his own time, his paintings were sought-after collector's pieces.
He signed it in a playful way: his name, then the word alias, and a tiny stick figure.
Years later, a fifteen-year-old girl came to learn from him: Rachel Ruysch, who would become the most famous flower painter of her age.
The Rijksmuseum bought this painting in 1896.
Still Life with Fowl. Willem van Aelst, 1658.
How each piece is brought to life
Faithful to the original, and made to be felt on your wall.
Graded against the original
We compare every work with the original as we grade it, keeping the artist’s colours true while bringing back their depth and glow. Every mark stays the artist’s own.
Printed for you
Printed to order on cotton canvas or fine art paper, then framed if you chose a frame, in 1 to 3 business days.
On your wall
It arrives 5 to 12 business days later, tracked and free anywhere in the US. Framed pieces come ready to hang.
Questions
Is this the original painting?
No. The original hangs in a museum. What you receive is a fine art reproduction, remastered from the original and printed for you, with every mark where the artist left it.
Will the colour look flat?
This is where most reproductions disappoint, and it is where we spend the most time. Each work is graded side by side with the original: faithful to the artist’s colours, with the depth and warmth brought back, so it moves you on the wall the way it was meant to. Canvas reads a touch softer than a backlit screen, and every screen shows colour a little differently.
Will the edges be cropped?
Each size is a standard frame size, so we fit the painting by trimming a little from its edges. We never stretch or squash it, and we check every size by eye so no face, figure or signature is cut. On canvas the edges are mirror-wrapped, which keeps the whole picture on the front.
Which size is right for my wall?
Aim for about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. Over a sofa or a sideboard, one of the two largest sizes will hold the wall. The size guide lists every size in inches and centimetres, with the kind of wall each one suits.
How long does it take?
Your piece is printed in 1–3 business days, then spends 5–12 business days in transit, tracked all the way. Delivery is free anywhere in the US. We are unable to deliver to PO boxes.
What if it arrives damaged?
Send us a photograph and we will remake it and send it again. There is nothing to return.
Can I return it?
Yes, within 30 days of delivery. Our returns policy has the details.
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Printed to order
Graded against the original, then printed for you on cotton canvas or fine art paper in 1–3 business days.
The whole painting
Every mark is the artist’s own, and canvas edges are mirror-wrapped so the whole picture stays on the front.
Free US shipping
On every order, tracked, 5–12 business days in transit.
30-day returns
Returns and exchanges within 30 days of delivery.
