Stilleven met kippen en eieren - Giovanni Battista Recco

A seventeenth-century Italian still life by Giovanni Battista Recco, depicting poultry and eggs in a muted, atmospheric composition.

Giovanni Battista Recco, an Italian painter active in Naples during the mid-seventeenth century, produced this composition as a characteristic example of the Neapolitan still life tradition. The work focuses on domestic subjects, specifically poultry and culinary items, arranged with a deliberate sense of gravity. A dark, muted background provides a neutral setting that allows the textures of the feathers, the smooth surfaces of the eggs, and the rougher quality of the wooden table to emerge through subtle shifts in light.

The composition is divided between suspended elements and those resting upon a flat surface. A plucked bird hangs from the upper section, accompanied by gourds, while a live hen sits prominently in the foreground. The inclusion of eggs, both whole and broken, introduces a narrative element regarding the cycle of food production. Recco employs a restrained palette, relying on earthy browns, greys, and ochres to define the forms. The lighting is directional, creating soft shadows that model the volume of the objects without resorting to excessive theatricality.

Recco was part of a group of artists in Naples who specialised in the depiction of food and kitchen scenes. His approach differs from the more decorative styles found in Northern Europe during the same period, favouring a direct, observational quality. The painting avoids unnecessary ornamentation, focusing instead on the physical presence of the objects. The broken egg in the lower right corner serves as a small, precise detail that breaks the stillness of the arrangement. This print captures the tonal range of the original oil painting, preserving the atmospheric quality of the seventeenth-century interior.