Four Studies of Cockatoos, Jan Weenix, c. 1650 - c. 1719

brush, h 361mm × w 470mm More details

However difficult it would have been to capture birds in flight, Jan Weenix will have made studies of them in the wild. Exotic specimens, such as these different species of cockatoos, however, would probably been drawn in menageries and aviaries. In this drawing the artist used a stick of charcoal soaked in oil. This provides a more intensely black tone than ordinary black chalk, making it ideal for introducing dark accents in feathers.