Untitled (Animals in a Wooded Clearing) - Jan van Kessel the Elder
Archival giclée
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Description
A detailed seventeenth-century Flemish painting featuring a variety of animals in a wooded clearing, executed with the precision of Jan van Kessel the Elder.
This composition by Jan van Kessel the Elder displays the meticulous attention to detail characteristic of his small-scale works on copper. The artist, a member of the prolific Flemish family of painters, specialised in natural history subjects, often arranging diverse species within a single frame. Here, a variety of creatures, including rabbits, snakes, and primates, occupy a clearing beneath a large tree. The scene balances scientific observation with the decorative conventions of the seventeenth century.
The foreground is populated by a collection of animals, rendered with precise brushwork that defines fur, scales, and textures. To the left, a dog interacts with a group of snakes near the base of a tree, while rabbits and other small mammals forage in the mid-ground. The background opens into a wide, atmospheric view of a rural plain, complete with a distant church spire and rolling hills. This transition from the highly detailed foreground to the soft, hazy distance demonstrates the artist's command of aerial perspective.
Van Kessel often drew inspiration from contemporary scientific treatises and encyclopaedic collections of natural history. His work reflects the period's curiosity regarding the natural world, presenting a curated assembly of fauna that would rarely coexist in such proximity. The choice of copper as a support allows for a smooth surface, enabling the artist to achieve a high degree of finish and luminosity. The palette remains grounded in natural earth tones, greens, and soft blues, which unify the disparate elements of the scene. This print captures the precision of the original painting, offering a view into the seventeenth-century fascination with the diversity of nature.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Untitled (Animals in a Wooded Clearing) - Jan van Kessel the Elder
Artist Biography
Jan Van Kessel The Elder
He was born in Antwerp in 1626, the grandson of Jan Brueghel the Elder through his mother Paschasia. He studied under Simon de Vos and later received instruction from his uncle and godfather Jan Brueghel the Younger. He became a master in the Guild of Saint Luke in 1644 as a flower painter, though flowers were only one of his subjects. He painted garlands, bouquets, marines, river landscapes, paradise scenes, allegories and genre subjects, but he is best known for tiny, jewel-like paintings of insects and shells on copper, depicted against light backgrounds with scientific exactitude.
He worked from nature and from illustrated scientific texts, blending direct observation with published sources. His small insect panels were sometimes produced in pairs or as series designed to decorate the fronts of cabinet drawers where collectors stored actual specimens. The paintings served as both art and catalogue.
He used two different signatures depending on the size of the painting: a cursive, decorative version for larger formats and a more compact form for miniatures. The practice was later misinterpreted as evidence that two different painters were at work. He spent time in Spain as court painter to Philip IV and as a captain in the King's army, probably in the late 1640s. He married Maria van Apshoven in 1647; of their thirteen children, Ferdinand and Jan the Younger also became painters. He died in Antwerp in 1679.
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