A Hunter’s Bag near a Tree Stump with a Magpie, Known as ‘The Contemplative Magpie’, Melchior d'Hondecoeter, c. 1678
oil on canvas, h 215cm × w 134cm More details
Commissioned by King William III of Orange, d’Hondecoeter painted these two hunting still lifes for Soestdijk Palace. They hung facing one another in a corridor whereby the magpie in this painting ‘speaks’ to the peacock in the other one. Together they depict a fable in which the birds must choose a king. The magpie objects to the peacock. With its splendid plumage how can it effectively defend its fellow birds in times of peril?
