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Depictions of a Bar-headed goose and four Little egrets

Unknown

1820

paint

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Depictions of a Bar-headed goose and four Little egrets is a 1820 paint by Unknown, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1820 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This sketch shows four white birds standing in a grassy, muddy wetland. In the background, a small island with a few bushes sits near the water’s edge. The birds have long legs and curved necks, with one bending down like it’s foraging. The colors are soft—pale greens, browns, and whites—with some dark patches on the island. The artist labeled one bird as a "goose," but the others look like cranes or egrets. The paper is worn, with a torn edge and faded ink notes. Look up Romanticism to see how artists used nature to show emotion.

The story of this work

Overview

The artwork features a Bar-headed goose alongside four Little egrets, rendered on stained paper and arranged on opposite sides of an album folio. The piece is attributed to an unknown artist from 1820. It was donated to the collection in 1929 by Robert Scott Greenshields, who served in the Indian Civil Service across Bengal and Assam from 1879 to 1910.

Read the full account in the museum source.