In his twenties, Verelst moved to London, where he established his reputation painting flower pictures and portraits for the court of King Charles II. His rare gamepieces usually focus on a partridge, an expensive delicacy that he painted with great sensitivity to detail, texture, and color. Although dead animals were routinely hung on the walls in Dutch kitchens and markets, Verelst avoided any reference to a domestic or commercial context, silhouetting his dramatically lit birds before a neutral, shadowy background.

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