Birds on a Balustrade, Melchior d'Hondecoeter, c. 1680 - c. 1690
D’Hondecoeter was the preeminent specialist in the genre of bird painting, and his work was in great demand. He painted birds from all corners of the world with a refined feeling for detail, colour, and liveliness. Here he portrayed a chicken, a hoopoe, and a parrot. D’Hondecoeter made studies in oil, which he could repeatedly use in his workshop as an aidememoire while painting. The birds occur in identical poses in other pictures.

Jonkheer J.S.H. van de Poll Bequest, Amsterdam
oil on canvas, h 51cm × w 163cm × d 10cm
http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-695
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