Artwork
Dead Birds on a Marble Table
Dead Birds on a Marble Table is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist William Gouw Ferguson. It dates from 1671 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created by William Gouw Ferguson in 1671, the composition focuses entirely on these avian subjects as the primary visual element.
The work is a still life painting that depicts dead birds arranged on a marble table. Created by William Gouw Ferguson in 1671, the composition focuses entirely on these avian subjects as the primary visual element. While the specific symbolic interpretation of the birds is not detailed in the available records, the genre of still life often utilizes such imagery to represent themes of mortality and the transience of life.
The presentation of lifeless creatures on a cold, hard stone surface serves as the central subject matter of the piece.
The painting is executed in oil on canvas and measures 60 cm in height by 47 cm in width. It remains part of the collection at the Statens Museum for Kunst.
Technique & Style
Dead Birds on a Marble Table is an oil painting executed on canvas, a support and medium combination consistent with seventeenth-century still-life practice. The work, dated 1671, takes the form of a still life depicting birds, with the composition arranged across a marble table surface. Its dimensions are recorded as 600.0 in height by 470.0 in width.
The painting is classified as a still life and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
History & Provenance
The still life Dead Birds on a Marble Table was painted by William Gouw Ferguson in 1671, as recorded in the artist’s dated inscription on the work.
The painting entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, where it remains held today. Its dimensions are 60.0 cm in height and 47.0 cm in width.
William Gouw Ferguson's 1671 oil painting Dead Birds on a Marble Table is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. The work measures 600 cm in height and 470 cm in width. While the painting is confirmed to be part of the museum's holdings, the provided sources do not specify a unique inventory or accession number, nor do they list any specific exhibition history for the piece.
The artwork depicts birds and is classified as a still life. It remains a permanent part of the Statens Museum for Kunst's collection, though further details regarding its public display schedule or catalog identifiers are not available in the current records.
Overview
Dead Birds on a Marble Table is an oil still life painting created by William Gouw Ferguson in 1671. It is a representative work of the artist's skill in rendering detailed, realistic depictions.
Artist & collection
