_Jan Baptist Weenix_ (Dutch: 1621-1660).
Weenix, born at Amsterdam, was the son of an architect. His
master in painting was Abraham Bloemaert. Early in life he
married the daughter of Gilles de Hondecoeter; his nephew
Melchior Hondecoeter (No. 202) was afterwards his pupil. In
1642 his desire to see Italy caused him to leave his young
wife and to carry his palette and brushes beyond the Alps. He
promised to be absent only four months. He remained in Italy
four years. While there he studied the coast-scenes, the
people, and the architecture; "the result of his observations
being the stately scenes, half real, half conventional, of
which good examples are to be found in the Wallace Collection."
On his return to Holland, Weenix was largely employed, first at
Amsterdam, and afterwards at Utrecht. In this country his name
is chiefly associated with pictures of dead game, but subjects
of this class--in which his son (238) also excelled--were only
the predilection of his later years.