A Hunter’s Bag near a Tree Stump with a Magpie, Known as ‘The Contemplative Magpie’, Melchior d'Hondecoeter, c. 1678

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?

On display in room 2.22

Color code: #110C05 Color code: #3A2B16 Color code: #635234 Color code: #8C7E5F Color code: #C4C1B5 Color code: #B5A687
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Melchior d' Hondecoeter

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