Artwork
Birds on a balustrade
Birds on a balustrade is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Melchior d' Hondecoeter. It dates from 1690 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition is documented in the Rijksmuseum collection and was once owned by Jacobus Salomon Hendrik van de Poll.
The work titled Birds on a balustrade, painted by Melchior d’Hondecoeter in 1690, shows a Eurasian Hoopoe perched on a balustrade alongside a pine tree and a chicken.
As an animal painting of the Dutch Golden Age, such compositions celebrated exotic birds and domestic poultry, reflecting contemporary fascination with natural history and status display.
The composition is documented in the Rijksmuseum collection and was once owned by Jacobus Salomon Hendrik van de Poll.
Technique & Style
Birds on a balustrade is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for Melchior d’Hondecoeter’s animal compositions. The work adopts a horizontal format, measuring 51 cm in height by 163 cm in width, a wide proportion suited to its frieze-like arrangement of birds perched along a balustrade. Stylistically, the painting belongs to the genre of animal art, depicting a Eurasian Hoopoe, chickens, and trees, including a pine, set within a naturalistic outdoor setting.
Hondecoeter’s handling of the medium is consistent with his late seventeenth-century practice, in which detailed bird plumage and open-air environments are rendered with careful attention to texture and light.
History & Provenance
Birds on a balustrade was created in 1690 by Melchior d’Hondecoeter, executed in oil paint on canvas and measuring 51 cm in height by 163 cm in width. It is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, having formerly been owned by Jacobus Salomon Hendrik van de Poll. No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history, commission details, or intermediate ownership are documented.
Overview
Melchior d’Hondecoeter, a Dutch artist renowned for his avian subjects, completed Birds on a balustrade in 1690. This oil painting showcases a diverse array of birds within a naturalistic environment, a characteristic theme for the artist. Executed with meticulous detail, the work exemplifies his focus on capturing ornithological life. It is presently part of the collection at the Rijksmuseum.
Artist & collection
Artist
Melchior d'Hondecoeter (Dutch pronunciation:; c. 1636 – 3 April 1695), Dutch animalier painter, was born in Utrecht and died in Amsterdam. After the start of his career, he painted virtually exclusively bird subjects,…
