Spare, haunting, and quietly magnificent—this set of 19th-century oil paintings by Cornelis de Cocq (1815–1889) captures the stillness of the hunt’s aftermath with remarkable restraint. One, larger in scale, shows a brace of woodcocks, their soft plumage rendered in velvety strokes, suspended from a nail, and with a powder horn behind. The smaller depicts three finches—red, green, and grizzled—each hanging from a string, their delicate bodies weightless against a dark background. There is no drama here, only silence and shadow, and a reverence for the natural world now stilled.

Born in Brussels, de Cocq trained at the Royal Academy in Antwerp and worked in the lineage of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish still-life painting. But where his predecessors leaned into opulence, de Cocq brought a quieter, more intimate sensibility. His brushwork is sensitive and restrained, and his compositions evoke more than they describe. Together, these two works feel like whispered elegies—mournful, meditative, and deeply felt.

LARGE: 17.25 in. W x 2 in. D x 20.25 in. H
SMALL: 15.75 in. W x 2.25 in. D x 17.25 in. H