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Still Life with Mouse and Candle 1647
Original price was: $518.00.$259.00Current price is: $259.00.
Artist: Willem van Aelst
A quiet 1647 tabletop scene by Willem van Aelst, where a mouse and a burning candle share a single glow. This hand-painted replica keeps the layered candlelight and soft shadow of the original intact.
Description
Description
Thin veils of warm brown pull back slowly from a single flame, and the paint itself seems to hold that slow burn: layers built up in near-transparent glazes over a darker ground, so the light appears to come from within the canvas rather than sitting on top of it. Edges dissolve where the candle glow fades into shadow, then sharpen with sudden precision on the whiskers and small dark eyes of a mouse caught at the very edge of the light. Van Aelst worked with a restrained palette of umbers, golds, and near-blacks, letting tonal control rather than colour carry the composition, and it is out of that handling that the subject itself gradually comes forward.
About Still Life with Mouse and Candle
The scene is spare by the standards of Dutch still life: a candle, a scrap of paper perhaps, a mouse drawn from the dark by curiosity or hunger, nothing more. Painted in 1647, it belongs to a moment when Willem van Aelst was still refining the close, exacting observation that would later define his flower and game pieces, applying the same discipline here to a subject with none of the usual splendour. The candlelight is rendered with real attention to how wax catches and softens illumination differently from fur or paper, each surface answering the flame in its own way, and that variation is where the picture earns its quiet intensity.
A hand-painted oil painting reproduction of this work is built the same way the original was, in successive layers of oil colour on canvas, so the same glazed depth and the same soft transitions from light into shadow survive in the finished piece. ByMuseum artists work from the original palette and brushwork, matching the fall of light across the mouse and the candle by hand rather than reducing it to a flat printed surface, so the piece functions as a genuine replica painting rather than a reproduction in name only. Held up close, the canvas shows the same layered texture that gives the small scene its warmth.
The hand-painted reproduction
Three and a half centuries on, the painting still holds attention because it asks so little and delivers so much, a candle and a mouse rendered with the same seriousness another painter might reserve for a saint. Bringing a version of it into a room means living with that patience day to day.
- Hand-painted oil on canvas, not a printed reproduction
- Available in multiple sizes to suit your space
- Gallery-ready presentation, ready to hang
- Certificate of authenticity included with every order
- 90 day returns, full refund or free replacement, no restocking fee
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Each ByMuseum artwork is a hand-painted oil painting reproduction created by trained artists on high-quality cotton canvas. Every piece is reviewed, finished, and packed according to the framing option you select.
Empty walls flatten a room. A classical artwork restores structure and visual hierarchy. One painting defines the space, anchors furniture, and establishes identity.
Delivery up to 25 days
Worldwide shipping included. Each painting is produced to order and safely packed for international transport.
100% secure payment
All payments are encrypted and processed through trusted payment providers.
Authentic hand-painted reproduction
Real brushwork, layered oil paint, and durable pigments on museum-quality canvas.
90-day money-back guarantee
If the result does not meet expectations, return it for a full refund.
Unframed — Rolled in Tube
Your artwork is painted on premium cotton canvas, then shipped safely rolled in a rigid tube with extra blank canvas border — ready for stretching or framing locally.
Framed — Ready to Hang
Select a handcrafted frame and we’ll deliver your painting fully assembled, protected, and ready to hang.
For safe shipping, framing is available up to a maximum size. Larger sizes will automatically disable the frame option.
Stretched Canvas
Choose “Stretched” to receive your canvas mounted on wooden stretcher bars — perfect if you’ll frame it later or display it as-is.
Gallery Wrap
Gallery Wrap is a deeper, 1.5" style stretcher. The canvas wraps around the sides and is stapled on the back for a clean, modern, frameless look.
Insured Express Delivery
We ship with UPS, FedEx, or DHL straight to your door. You’ll receive a tracking number as soon as your order leaves our studio. Typical delivery is 4–5 business days after dispatch; large, framed, or stretched pieces may take longer depending on the safest shipping route.
Unframed canvases are protected with a film, carefully rolled, and secured inside a rigid shipping tube.
Stretched, Gallery Wrapped, and Framed paintings are wrapped, cushioned with foam protection, and boxed for safe transit.
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