Still life with fruit, parrot and rabbits (Allegory of Autumn)

This is one of the many examples of “genre” painting – comprising battle scenes, landscapes, seascapes, real or fantastic architectures, caprices and still life – that decorated palace interiors in the seventeenth-eighteenth century and suited the taste of the private collectors of the time.

Jacob van der Kerckhoven, one of the most well-known still life specialists active in the Veneto territory, shows here, with meticulous care for detail, a “cascade” of fruit and vegetables which, starting from the top right-hand corner of the painting, comes down in a diagonal that divides the canvas in two. The artist paints the products of the earth typical of the autumn season – bunches of grapes, pomegranates and pumpkins – using warm tones, brown and reddish colours, chosen with the intention of representing an Allegory of Autumn. The crystalline light coming from the left of the painting freezes the colours, making them sparkling and bright. The skilful layout of the composition, of baroque origin, divided asymmetrically, expresses the painter’s original perception of space and his undeniable talent.

Besides its apparent simplicity, the work is charged with hidden meanings and enigmatic allusions: two shy rabbits appear and a parrot with gaudy plumage, figures which symbolise lust, while the fruits chosen by the artist are a clear reference to fertility and sensuality.