Artwork
Ducks
Ducks is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Willem Maris. It dates from 1904 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition emphasizes the bird’s simple presence rather than narrative drama, reflecting the artist’s focus on everyday Dutch countryside scenes.
The 1904 oil painting Ducks by Willem Maris presents a domestic duck standing beside a shallow waterhole surrounded by grasses, set within a modest rural landscape. The composition emphasizes the bird’s simple presence rather than narrative drama, reflecting the artist’s focus on everyday Dutch countryside scenes. By choosing a common domestic duck as subject, Maris elevates ordinary rural life, aligning with the genre of animal art that celebrated familiar pastoral moments in the Netherlands. The work is housed in the Rijksmuseum and was owned by Jean Charles Joseph Drucker.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1904, Ducks is a painting in oil on canvas measuring 93 × 113 cm.
The handling is fluid and atmospheric, typical of Willem Maris’s late-nineteenth-century Dutch naturalism, with delicate, blended brushwork that renders the soft plumage of the ducks and the reflective surface of the waterhole. Light is diffused across the scene, creating gentle transitions between sunlit grass and shadowed foliage.
The composition favors a low horizon, directing attention to the ducks and their rippling reflections, while the surrounding vegetation is suggested with quick, rhythmic strokes rather than precise detail.
History & Provenance
Willem Maris created the oil painting Ducks in 1904. Executed on canvas, the work measures 93 by 113 centimeters and depicts a rural scene featuring domestic ducks near a waterhole. Following its creation, the painting entered the collection of Jean Charles Joseph Drucker.
It is currently held by the Rijksmuseum, where it remains part of the institution's permanent holdings of animal art.
The painting is held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Its inventory number is SK-C-1943. The work entered the collection through a bequest from Jean Charles Joseph Drucker.
It has been exhibited at the Rijksmuseum in the exhibition "Dutch Masters from the Drucker Collection" held in 1943.
Legacy
The painting Ducks was completed in 1904 by Willem Maris using oil on canvas, measuring 93 cm by 113 cm. It belongs to the animal‑art genre and is catalogued in the Rijksmuseum collection, where it has been displayed since its acquisition. The work was previously owned by Jean Charles Joseph Drucker, further documenting its provenance. Its inclusion in a national museum highlights its recognized importance within early Dutch animal painting and contributes to the artist’s lasting reputation.
Overview
Willem Maris's oil painting, Ducks, created in 1904, captures a serene moment in nature. This work, rendered in oil paint, is a characteristic example of the artist's focus on animal subjects. It is currently part of the collection at the Rijksmuseum, where it represents Maris's contribution to Dutch art.
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