Carstian Luyckx

This imposing yet minutely rendered portrait of a group of falcons was painted by Carstian Luyckx, one of Antwerp's most accomplished 17th century still-life painters. Despite his distinctive style and technique, relatively little remains known of Luyckx's life. He trained under Philips de Marlier and Frans Francken III, and he is documented in Antwerp up until 1653, having been made a master in the Guild of Saint Luke in 1645. As some of his later paintings have French inscriptions it is presumed that after this time he may have traveled south, though as yet there is no documentary evidence to support this.  As there are only two known dated pictures by him, it is difficult to establish a chronology for his oeuvre.  

The sport of falconry, practiced since ancient times, was a pursuit particularly enjoyed at medieval and renaissance courts. The gyrfalcon, one of two falcon species shown here, is the largest of the falcon species, and Luyckx has taken the liberty to show the majestic animal in multiple poses and from various angles, both with and without their decorated leather hoods. In these detailed and beautifully rendered likenesses, Luyckx's prowess is on full display, particularly in the way he balances light and texture to capture the varied intricacies and colors of the plumage. A similar degree of accuracy and impeccable detail is found in Luyckx's portrait of a colorful parrot in a still life of circa 1660.¹  Even similar comparisons can be found in a profile portrait of a single brown gyr falcon, executed with comparable refinement and with a dark landscape beyond, sold New York, Sotheby's, 25 June 2020, lot 105 for $100,000, as well as a pair of works featuring nearly identical falcons sold from the Jacques and Galila Hollander collection in Paris, Christies, 16 October 2013, lot 102.

1.  https://rkd.nl/en/explore/images/59921