Two Studies of a Dead Bird, Jacques de Gheyn (II), 1575 - 1625

pen, h 156mm × w 208mm More details

At the close of the 16th century, artists became increasingly interested in nature. Jacob de Gheyn’s circle of friends included several scientists. His expertise and excellent observational skills enabled him to portray plants and animals with meticulous accuracy. Remarkably, he depicted this dead songbird, which seems to have only just crawled out of its egg, in two different ways, as a scientific researcher would have done.