Herman Henstenburgh

This kind of elaborate still life composition is generally dated to the later part of Henstenburgh's career, after around 1695. Occasionally works like this have a vanitas theme, as in the fine example formerly in the Unicorno Collection,¹ but that is not the case for the present work. The birds which Henstenburgh incorporates into this still life recall the many fine compositions of decorative and exotic birds which are a significant part of his oeuvre. For the fullest account of Henstenburgh and his works, see Anne M. Zaal, Herman Henstenburgh 1667-1726, thesis, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, 1991. See also the previous lot.

1. Sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 19 May 2004, lot 199