Melchior d'Hondecoeter facts for kids

A portrait of Melchior d'Hondecoeter.

Melchior d'Hondecoeter (born around 1636 – died April 3, 1695) was a famous Dutch painter. He was known for painting animals, especially birds. He was born in Utrecht and later died in Amsterdam.

After he started his career, Melchior d'Hondecoeter painted almost only birds. These were often exotic birds or game birds (birds hunted for food). He usually showed them in beautiful park-like settings. His paintings featured many different birds like geese, partridges, pigeons, ducks, and peacocks. He also painted more unusual birds such as African grey crowned cranes, Asian sarus cranes, and colorful parrots like Indonesian yellow-crested cockatoos and purple-naped lorys.

About Melchior d'Hondecoeter

Hunting trophies beside a magpie on a tree stump.

Melchior d'Hondecoeter came from a family of artists. His grandfather, Gillis d'Hondecoeter, and his father, Gijsbert d'Hondecoeter, were both painters. His aunt married another painter, Jan Baptist Weenix. So, Melchior grew up surrounded by art.

When he was young, Melchior was very religious. His cousin, Jan Weenix, said that Melchior prayed loudly. Because of this, his mother and uncle wondered if he would become a minister instead of a painter.

In 1659, Melchior was working in The Hague. He joined a group of painters called Confrerie Pictura. In 1663, he married Susanne Tradel from Amsterdam. They had two children. Melchior enjoyed spending time in his garden. He lived near other artists and art dealers. Later, he moved to a house near the famous Anne Frank House. His wife passed away in 1692. Melchior then lived with his daughter Isabel for a short time before he died and was buried in the Westerkerk.

When his belongings were listed, they included a small gallows. This was a special tool he used to hold birds in the right position while he painted them. He also owned seven paintings by another artist named Frans Snyders.

His Art: Birds and More

Still Life with Cock.

Melchior d'Hondecoeter started his painting career differently from what he became famous for. At first, he painted sea scenes. One of his earliest works, from 1655, is called Tub with Fish. It is in the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum.

However, Melchior soon switched from fish to birds. He became very well-known for his bird paintings. He didn't just paint dead birds from a hunt or a market. Instead, he showed birds as living creatures with feelings. He painted them showing joy, fear, and even fighting.

People said that Hondecoeter painted the love of a mother hen for her chicks with as much care as other famous painters showed mothers and babies. While another artist, Johannes Fyt, painted many animals, Hondecoeter focused mostly on birds. He often showed scenes like a cock-fight or just everyday bird life.

Not many of his paintings have dates, but about twenty of them do. Many more are signed by him. Some of his famous works include Jackdaw deprived of his Borrowed Plumes (1671) at the Mauritshuis in The Hague. Another is A Park with Poultry (1686) at the Hermitage in St Petersburg.

Melchior d'Hondecoeter also painted large wall hangings that showed buildings and parks. Stadtholder William III, a powerful leader in the Netherlands, hired Hondecoeter to paint the animals at his palace, Het Loo. This painting, now in The Hague, shows that Hondecoeter could also paint larger animals like elephants and gazelles if needed. But he was best known for his more common bird scenes.

His earlier paintings are often seen as more detailed and brighter than his later ones. Throughout his career, he was known for his bold painting style and his ability to capture the movement of birds very accurately.

Influence on Other Artists

Melchior d'Hondecoeter taught other artists, including Willem Hendrik Wilhelmus van Royen and his cousin Jan Weenix. Many other painters were also influenced by his style, such as Peter Casteels (III), Adriaen van Oolen, and Jan van Huysum.

Where to See His Art

You can find Melchior d'Hondecoeter's most famous paintings in The Hague, Soestdijk, and Amsterdam (like The Floating Feather). There are also great examples of his work in museums and galleries around the world. You can see his paintings in places like London, Berlin, Paris, and New York.

The biggest exhibition of his work so far was in Berlin in 2010. Eighteen of his paintings were shown there as part of an art installation.

Utah Museum of Fine Arts

Gallery

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  A Cock and Two Hens, with Chicks, in a Landscape Setting (1656–95).

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  Birds, Butterflies and Frog with Plants and Fungi (1668).

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  Backyard Birds (1660s).

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  Animals and Plants of the Forest (around 1670-80).

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  Chickens and Ducks (around 1660-90).

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  Concert of Birds (1670).

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  Beast in Front of Noah's Ark (around 1680).

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  Fox with Dead Rooster and Poultry (1678).

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  Poultry Farm (around 1675-99).

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  The Crow Exposed (around 1680).

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  Pelican and Birds Near a Pool, also known as "The Floating Feather" (around 1680).

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  The Poultry Yard (1690s).

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  Roosters Fighting (1686).

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  Ducks (around 1675-80).

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  Still Life with Animals (around 1680-90).

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  A Diana Monkey with Four Colorful Birds (around 1690).

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  Girl with Peacocks (around 1680).

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  Peacocks, Male and Female (1681).

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  Cockatoo and Monkey by a Wicker Basket of Fruit.

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  Peacocks (1683).

See also

In Spanish: Melchior d'Hondecoeter para niños