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Cock and Hens, ca. 1650

  • oil paint, panel
  • 48 x 45.1 cm
  • Inv. 1909-WWW

Public Domain

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In this painting, three hens and a rooster flock together at the edge of a pond. A bundle of straw, a broken clay jar and some mussel shells lie at the water’s edge. The light falls from the left and highlights the rooster’s breast. Mussels were the food of the poor. The shells, which contain calcium, were given to chickens as a supplementary source of nutrients. This paintings, however, conveys another message. Since ancient times, oysters have been known as an aphrodisiac; the rooster was a symbol of masculinity, the lust for power, and virility.

Artist

Aelbert Cuyp RKD
Dordrecht 1620 - Dordrecht 1691
painters (artists)AAT

Title Cock and Hens
Date ca. 1650
Period 17th century
Collection paintings AAT
Object type oil paintings (visual works) AAT
Inventory number 1909-WWW
Acquisition credit gift
The Friends of the Museum
Ghent
1909
Current whereabouts Work on display
Permalink https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1909-WWW
IIIF Manifest https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/487/manifest.json
Art & Architecture Thesaurus 300263554 animal paintings AAT
25H landscapes Iconclass
Keywords Iconclass 25F animals Iconclass
25F3 birds Iconclass
25H1 landscapes in the temperate zone Iconclass
26A clouds Iconclass
34B232 fowl (cock, hen, chicken, etc.) Iconclass
School / Style Baroque AAT
Museum van Schoone Kunsten : Catalogus ; Oude Meesters, Schilderstukken, teekeningen, plaatsneden (met geschiedkundig overzicht) / Maurice Dupuis, Georges Charles Nicolas Marie Hulin de Loo, Fritz Van Loo. - Gent : Drukkerij F. De Vos, 1938 ; Gent : Stad Gent, 1938 (p. 46)
Albert Cuyp (Fonds Richard de Moor). - [s.l.] : [s.n.], [s.a.]
Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent = Museum of Fine Arts Ghent / Claudie De Guillebon, Jacques Ostier, Robert Hoozee, Monique Tahon-Vanroose. - Parijs : Association des Amis de "Musées 2000", 1989 (p. 64 (ill. 133))
Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : Catalogus schilderkunst ; Deel I: 14de - 18de eeuw ; Deel II: 19de - 20ste eeuw / Robert Hoozee, Johan De Smet, Bruno Fornari, Ruth Monteyne. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2007 (dl. I, p. 78-79 (ill.))
Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : De collectie (tentoonstelling vanaf 21 maart 2021) / Johan De Smet, Bart Ooghe, Frederica Van Dam, Lieven Van Den Abeele, Cathérine Verleysen. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2021
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand : La Collection (exposition dès le 21 mars 2021) / Johan De Smet, Bart Ooghe, Frederica Van Dam, Lieven Van Den Abeele, Cathérine Verleysen. - Gand : Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand, 2021
Museum of Fine Arts Ghent : The Collection (exhibition opened on March 21th 2021) / Johan De Smet, Bart Ooghe, Frederica Van Dam, Lieven Van Den Abeele, Cathérine Verleysen. - Ghent : Museum of Fine Arts Ghent, 2021
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