Getting started with the collection:
A Hunter’s Bag near a Tree Stump with a Magpie, Known as ‘The Contemplative Magpie’
Melchior d’Hondecoeter (1636-1695), oil on canvas, c. 1678
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?
- Artwork typepainting
- Object numberSK-A-170
- Dimensionsheight 215 cm x width 134 cm
- Physical characteristicsolieverf op doek



















