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Depictions of a Dalmatian pelican and a Red-wattled plover or lapwing

Unknown

1820

paint

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Early 19th Century Animal

Dominant colour

Depictions of a Dalmatian pelican and a Red-wattled plover or lapwing 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 painting shows two birds standing on the ground. The bird on the left is a Dalmatian pelican, with a large beak and a white body with black feathers on its back. The bird on the right is a Red-wattled plover or lapwing, with a smaller beak and a brown body with a red wattle on its head. The birds are painted in a realistic style, with attention to detail in their feathers and beaks. The background of the painting is a muted brown color, which helps to bring out the colors of the birds. The painting is an example of Romanticism, a movement that emphasized emotion and nature. To learn more about this style, look up Romanticism.

The story of this work

Overview

Two watercolour studies on stained paper, mounted on opposite sides of an album folio, depict a Dalmatian pelican and a red-wattled plover or lapwing. The works were presented to the collection in 1929 by Robert Scott Greenshields, a member of the Indian Civil Service who served in Bengal and Assam from 1879 to 1910.

Read the full account in the museum source.