Still Life with Game

This Still Life with Game is made up from left to right of a common snipe, a ruffed grouse, a bufflehead and an American woodcock. The group of birds, forming a lozenge, is hung on a brick wall covered with a rough coat of plaster, according to the conventions of European painting at the time. The fine treatment contrasts with the hasty execution often seen in the artist’s genre scenes. Here, Krieghoff approaches his subject with greater interest, and the composition provided him the opportunity to demonstrate his talent, particularly through the care required in rendering the subtle colours and textures.