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Description

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?

A Hunter’s Bag near a Tree Stump with a Magpie, Known as ‘The Contemplative Magpie’

c. 1678

Accession Number

N/A

Medium

N/A

Dimensions

height 215 cm x width 134 cm

Classification

Painting

Museum

Rijksmuseum

Amsterdam, Netherlands

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