17^th Century Dutch

Painter of animals and still lifes; printmaker.

Born into a family of artists (his grandfather was the landscape painter Gillis de Hondecoeter), after the death of his father Gijsbert de Hondecoeter, Melchior trained with his uncle Jan Baptist Weenix. In 1659 he was working in The Hague, and was a member of the society of painters there. However, after his marriage in 1663 he settled in Amsterdam. From a very early stage in his career he devoted himself almost exclusively to painting exotic birds and fowl, although he also depicted fish. He was highly regarded in his lifetime and his paintings were profusely imitated by his contemporaries. His oeuvre stands out for its technical skill and ornamental quality.