Artwork
The Raven Robbed of the Feathers He Wore to Adorn Himself
The Raven Robbed of the Feathers He Wore to Adorn Himself is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Melchior d' Hondecoeter. It dates from 1671 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
The physical support consists of canvas, which has been preserved within major Dutch collections including the Mauritshuis and the Rijksmuseum.
Created in 1671, The Raven Robbed of the Feathers He Wore to Adorn Himself is an oil painting executed on canvas. The work measures 176 cm in height and 189 cm in width, presenting a substantial scale typical of the artist's animal art genre. As a painting classified within the animal art tradition, the piece relies on oil paint as its primary medium to depict its subject matter.
The physical support consists of canvas, which has been preserved within major Dutch collections including the Mauritshuis and the Rijksmuseum.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1671 by Melchior d' Hondecoeter as an oil work on canvas. It entered the collection of the Dutch royal household, specifically the Prince of Orange Nassau, and was later dispersed among the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands Art Collection, Mauritshuis, Rijksmuseum, National Museum Paleis het Loo, and Het Loo Palace. Its current locations include the Mauritshuis and Rijksmuseum.
The work measures 176 cm by 189 cm and is classified as animal art within the broader corpus of Dutch Golden Age painting.
The painting is held in the Netherlands, associated with multiple national collections including the Mauritshuis, the Rijksmuseum, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands Art Collection, the National Museum Paleis het Loo, and the collection of Willem V, Prince of Orange-Nassau at Het Loo Palace. The work's listed locations are the Mauritshuis and the Rijksmuseum.
No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Context
Melchior d' Hondecoeter, a Dutch Baroque specialist in animal subjects, created this 1671 oil painting that exemplifies his fascination with avian behavior and vanitas symbolism. The work depicts a raven stripped of its ornamental feathers, a motif interpreted as commentary on vanity and the transience of natural beauty. It resides in the Mauritshuis and Rijksmuseum collections, part of the Dutch national heritage assemblage from the Prince of Orange's holdings.
Overview
Melchior d’Hondecoeter, a Dutch painter active in the latter half of the 17th century, completed the oil work titled The Raven Robbed of the Feathers He Wore to Adorn Himself in 1671. Executed during the Dutch Golden Age, the painting presents a lively avian tableau set within a modest landscape, and it now belongs to the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a peacock whose plumage is being torn away by a larger bird, likely a heron or stork, while a variety of other birds observe or flee. The dramatic interaction suggests a narrative of predation and vulnerability among birds, reflecting d’Hondecoeter’s fascination with exotic and game species.
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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,…
