Barnyard Fowl and Peacocks
Melchior d' Hondecoeter
(Dutch, 1636–1695)
Medium/TechniqueOil on canvas
Dimensions121.9 x 156.5 cm (48 x 61 5/8 in.)
Credit LineJulia Bradford Huntington James Fund
Accession number07.501
On View
Not on viewClassificationsPaintings
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Hondecoeter specialized in painting birds. The artist’s large‑scale depictions, which could at times exceed 15’ in width, were purchased by rich citizens of Amsterdam who displayed them in their town houses and country estates. In addition to common ducks, hens, and roosters, Hondecoeter has here included two peacocks—a rare and foreign species that, much like tulips, was cultivated by Holland’s elite. So popular were Hondecoeter’s paintings that in the 19th century he was called “the Raphael of bird painters.”
InscriptionsUpper center on stone wall: Melchio d hondecoeterProvenanceUntil 1907, Edward Balfour, Esq. (b. 1849 - d. 1927), Balbirnie, Fife, Scotland; May 31, 1907, Balfour sale, Christie, Manson and Woods, London, lot 140, to Gooden and Fox, London; 1907, sold by Gooden and Fox to the MFA for $16,650 [see note 1]. (Accession Date: August 8, 1907)NOTES:
[1] MFA accession numbers 07.499 - 07.502 were acquired together for $16,650.
Melchior d' Hondecoeter
Jacob Adriaensz. Backer
Unidentified artist, Belgian, fourth quarter 18th century
