(Amsterdam 1675–1721)
A set of game still lifes,
one signed upper right: D. Valckenburg,
oil on canvas, each 71.5 x 58.5 cm, framed, a pair (2)

Dirk Valkenburg was born in Amsterdam, where he became a pupil, first of a certain Kuilenburg, then of the portrait and genre painter Michiel van Musscher, and finally of Jan Weenix, the highly successful painter of animals and still lifes.
In 1696, Valkenburg left Amsterdam to travel south, where he met with success in Augsburg, and then two years later in Vienna. Around 1701, he returned to Amsterdam, where he acquired citizenship in March 1703. In 1706, under contract to the Amsterdam plantation owner Jonas Witsen, he travelled to Surinam in order to draw and paint scenes of Witsen’s plantations, as well as of the rare birds and plants found there. Due to illness, Valkenburg returned earlier than planned, probably with the autumn fleet of 1707. In spite of this he came back with a large number of finished works, particularly drawings. He spent the rest of his life in Amsterdam. Apart from still lifes, Valkenburg is known for Surinam landscapes and outdoor genre scenes, as well as for portraits, although only a few of his many portraits survive.

Valkenburg is most renowned for his still life paintings of game and live animals – often combining the two motifs. Early on, he proved himself to be a keen and able follower of his last teacher, Jan Weenix, which, during his stay in Vienna resulted in commissions for several large pictures in Weenix’s style. As a result, in 1699, Valkenburg delivered a set of four magnificent paintings to Johann Adam von Liechtenstein that have been preserved in the princely collection to the present day. The artist received the considerable sum of one thousand guilders for these four large canvases.

The Liechtenstein paintings clearly demonstrate Valkenburg’s dependence on Jan Weenix’s example, but at the same time they show how he had attained an individual quality that could compete effortlessly with Weenix’s works. It is no wonder that another sizeable example of his work, located in the Statens Museum in Copenhagen, received a false Weenix signature in the past, and was only recognised as a work of Valkenburg in the last century. The dog entering from the side of the painting is a compositional device that also appears in famous works by the artist,.

In the present pair, Valkenburg has depicted theatrical compositions. The brilliant colours create a beautiful contrast to the dark palette used for the niche and landscape background.

Like most game still lifes, the present pair of paintings doubtlessly contain an element of vanity.