Still Life with Fruit and a Cup on Cock’s Legs, Abraham Mignon
In the Rijksmuseum.
Ostensibly a still life, Mignon’s not-so-still composition is actually teeming with insect, arachnid and mollusk life, in addition to the beautifully rendered plant forms and man made objects — not to mention the cock’s leg base for the decorative cup (say what?).
There’s enough detail here to entertain Mignon’s patron for hours, just finding the little treasures the artist has painted into the recesses of his assortment of forms.
Personally, my favorite elements of the painting are his beautifully handled leaves and vines.
