Frans
Snyders was born in 1579 in Antwerp. His parents kept an inn well-known
for good food, which many artists frequented. In about 1592-1593, Snyders
studied art under Pieter Brueghel
the Younger and Hendrik van Balen. He joined the Lukas Guild in 1602
and studied in Italy in 1602-1609. In 1611, he married the sister of the
painter Cornelis de Vos. Apart from
his domestic scenes, which showed the Mannerist influence, Snyders created
two new categories of painting: the hunting still life, such as Wild
Boar Hunt (1649), and the "larder" picture, such as Still
Life with a Swan (1613-1620), Flowers,
Fruits and Vegetables. He excelled as a painter of still life,
transformed it into a lively scene, and also produced minutely observed,
dramatic hunting scenes. He was one of Rubens'
assistants, who employed him as a specialist for animals, fruit and flowers.
Bibliography: Painting of Europe. XIII-XX centuries. Encyclopedic Dictionary.
Moscow. Iskusstvo. 1999.
