Jachtstilleven met gevogelte, haas en geweer c. 1674 - 1706

Robert Robinson created this hunting still life with fowl, hare, and gun as an etching. The composition here is strikingly vertical, directing our eyes upwards through the entangled forms of dead animals and hunting gear. The stark contrast between the dark foreground and lighter background enhances the drama, pulling us into the scene’s quiet violence. Robinson masterfully uses the etching technique to create textures that mimic fur and feathers. This work engages with the 17th-century Dutch interest in the Vanitas tradition, which contemplates mortality and the fleeting nature of life. Yet, rather than overt symbols of decay, Robinson focuses on the aesthetic arrangement of the hunt’s spoils. Note how the arrangement itself—the careful balance of light and shadow, the detailed rendering of textures—transforms objects of death into objects of beauty. Robinson invites us to consider how art itself mediates our understanding of nature, life, and death.