Melchior de
Hondecuiter

Worked from 1659 in the Hague, 1663 in Amsterdam, was influenced by masters of the Flemish still life XVII century. Pupil of his father Gijsbert and his uncle Jan Baptist Feniksa. Worked in Utrecht, from 1659 to 1663 — the Hague, 1664 in Amsterdam. One of the leading representatives of the Dutch animal genre, Hondekuter, obtained from his contemporaries the nickname “Bird Rafael”, famous for his “bird yards” – large-format paintings depicting the peaceful neighborhood or in the rivalry between the various species of domestic, wild or exotic-ornamental birds.