Melchior d'Hondecoeter, Melchior de Hondecoeter

Melchior d'Hondecoeter (Melchior de Hondecoeter; c. 1636 – 1695) was an animalier painter from the Netherlands. He painted virtually exclusively bird subjects, both indigenous and exotic species, in park-like landscapes in the Dutch Golden Age and Baroque style. d'Hondecoeter was the first Dutch painter who managed to depict birds with a high degree of ‘liveliness’. He painted works featuring poultry and game still lifes and invented a new theme in the art of painting: park landscapes with exotic birds.