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Still Life with Asparagus

A Pelican and other Birds near a Water Basin

From the series One hundred masterpieces
A Pelican and other Birds near a Pool, Known as ‘The Floating Feather’ Melchior d’Hondecoeter (1636–1695), oil on canvas, c. 1680

D’Hondecoeter was the 17th-century bird painter par excellence. He could render plumage masterfully. Look, for example, at the subtle colour differences in the pelican. And do you see the feather floating in the water?

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