Falcon on a Perch
1610
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1610
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Falcon on a Perch is a 1610 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A falcon sits on a wooden perch, its sharp talons tied with black string. The bird faces left, feathers detailed in brown and white. Behind it, light green leaves and pink flowers fill the space. This painting likely shows a royal hunting bird—falcons were gifts between rulers. The artist mixed Persian and Mughal styles, using bright colors and careful lines. The tied talons suggest the bird was tame, not wild. To see more like this, look up northwestern india, rajasthan, rajput kingdom of amber.
Falcons were prized participants in royal hunting expeditions, and this painting may be a portrait of a favorite bird or a gift from an ally. The bird faces left, and the talons are tied to the perch with a black string. The light green background, flowering trees, and plants provide dynamism to the composition and reveal the artist’s awareness of Persian, Mughal, or Deccani styles of painting.
A thin coat of malachite was applied for the background.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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