Artwork
Two Peacocks Threatening a Hen with Chicks, Known as ‘The Threatened Hen’
Two Peacocks Threatening a Hen with Chicks, Known as ‘The Threatened Hen’ is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Melchior d' Hondecoeter. It dates from 1691 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a domestic scene in which two peacocks confront a hen surrounded by her chicks, a confrontation that gives the work its alternative title, 'The Threatened Hen'. The composition belongs to the genre of animal art, a category in which Melchior d'Hondecoeter specialized, and it stages a moment of predatory tension among barnyard birds rather than a peaceful menagerie. The juxtaposition of the proud, ornamental peacocks against the vulnerable mother hen and her brood creates a moralizing contrast between aggression and maternal protection, a theme typical of Hondecoeter's bird paintings.
By focusing on the hen shielding her chicks from the advancing peacocks, the work transforms an ordinary farmyard encounter into a meditation on threat, defense, and the instinct to safeguard the young.
Technique & Style
Classified as animal art, the composition features peacocks, a hen, and chicks, reflecting the artist's specialization in avian subjects.
Executed in 1681, this work is an oil painting on canvas by Melchior d'Hondecoeter. The piece measures 115.5 cm in height and 141 cm in width. Classified as animal art, the composition features peacocks, a hen, and chicks, reflecting the artist's specialization in avian subjects.
The application of oil paint on a textile support was characteristic of Dutch Golden Age panel and canvas production, allowing for the detailed rendering of plumage and naturalistic textures observed in the scene.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1681, this work belongs to Melchior d’Hondecoeter’s late oeuvre of large-scale animal scenes. It entered the market via the Amsterdam art dealer Willem Lormier, who sold it to collector Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers by 1710. Upon Gevers’s death in 1715, the painting passed to his daughter Henrica Cunera Lormier-van Olden and remained in the Lormier family until at least 1740.
By 1750 it had entered the collection of Johan van der Marck, who later dispersed it to another unidentified owner before 1760.
The painting was subsequently acquired by the Dutch state’s Kabinet van Heteren Gevers, a predecessor agency of today’s Rijksmuseum, where it has been held since at least 1800.
The painting is held in the Rijksmuseum collection, listed under the inventory number SK-A-1805. Its provenance includes ownership by Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers, Willem Lormier, Henrica Cunera Lormier-van Olden, and Johan van der Marck. The work has been part of the Rijksmuseum's display as part of the Dienst Verspreide Rijkscollecties, specifically within the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers. Exhibition history is limited to its permanent display in the Rijksmuseum's animal art gallery.
Context
Melchior d'Hondecoeter specialized in dynamic animal scenes, and this 1681 oil painting exemplifies his skill in capturing tension among birds, fitting within the Dutch Golden Age tradition of naturalistic wildlife depictions. The work reflects his broader focus on exotic fauna and behavioral drama, aligning with the decorative and observational interests of 17th-century Dutch collectors. It is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection, previously held by Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers and later transferred through the Lormier and van der Marck families, underscoring its provenance within Dutch aristocratic circles.
Overview
Two Peacocks Threatening a Hen with Chicks, Known as ‘The Threatened Hen’ is a 1691 oil painting by Melchior d'Hondecoeter, a Dutch artist known for his animalier subjects.
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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,…
