A Gathering of Birds

Melchior de Hondecoeter had a successful career in both the Netherlands and England, and was known for the lively and accurate way he represented specific breeds so that the character of every fowl is accurately discriminated. He was influenced by Frans Snyders, the important Flemish animal and still-life painter, and used many of his compositional formulas. Works such as this served fanciers of wildfowl and wild animals, and these decorative paintings were often set beside flower and fruit pictures.

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