Black Stork in a Landscape

Black Stork in a Landscape

Black Stork in a Landscape. Dimensions: Painting: H. 21 1/2 in. (54.6 cm) W. 29 3/4in. (75.6cm) Mat: H. 35 1/2 in. (90.2 cm) W. 27 in. (68.6 cm). Date: ca. 1780. The distinctive white neck feathers, purple-streaked wings, and red-tinged beak identify this tall bird as a woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus), a native species of India known for its unusual plumage and height. The meandering watercourse on the right side of the composition could be a reference to the riverine areas in which such birds are typically found. A digit from the bird's right foot rests upon its left, illustrating the artist's close study of the standing position of these creatures. This work, like the image of the nightjar (2004.175)nearby, has been attributed to a set of 658 ornithological paintings commissioned by the French serviceman Claude Martin.

Opaque watercolor on European paper

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Model: No - Property: No
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3110 x 4351 px | 38.7 MB

26.3 x 36.8 cm | 10.4 x 14.5 in (300 dpi)