ARTWORKS

A Man with Dead Birds, and Other Figures, in a Stable

Pieter de Hooch (1629–1684)

The National Gallery, London

A Man with Dead Birds, and Other Figures, in a Stable

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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A dog sniffs at a heap of dead birds on the floor, but the focus of this quiet scene seems to be on the young woman cradling her baby. She looks down at the creatures, her expression shuttered. The picture was originally quite different: beneath the birds, which were added during the nineteenth century, is the figure of a wounded man, probably a soldier.A series of rectangles -- some open, some closed -- define the space and give a glimpse of the fascination and skill in the use of perspective that became central to de Hooch's work. On the right, clothes draped over a wooden plank catch the light, giving depth to the shadowy area behind it. To the left, sketchily painted objects hang on another wooden half wall; behind them, a web of narrow beams angle upwards to give height to the ceiling overhead.

The National Gallery, London

London

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Title

A Man with Dead Birds, and Other Figures, in a Stable

Date

about 1655

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 53.5 x W 49.7 cm

Accession number

NG3881

Acquisition method

Presented by F.N. and O.S. Ashcroft in memory of their parents, 1924

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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Artist or maker

Pieter de Hooch

1629–1684

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