Artwork Page for Falcon on a Perch

Details / Information for Falcon on a Perch

Falcon on a Perch

c. 1610

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Amber

Medium
gum tempera on paper
Measurements
Miniature: 12.8 x 8.9 cm (5 1/16 x 3 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.165
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

A thin coat of malachite was applied for the background.

Description

Falcons were prized participants in royal hunting expeditions, and this painting may be a portrait of a favorite bird or a gift from an ally. The bird faces left, and the talons are tied to the perch with a black string. The light green background, flowering trees, and plants provide dynamism to the composition and reveal the artist’s awareness of Persian, Mughal, or Deccani styles of painting.
A vertically oriented gum tempera painting in pale greens and grays centers a falcon on a curved red perch against a mottled background. Branches of pink blossoms arch around the bird, which faces left with a dark cap, yellow eye, and beak. At the bottom right, orange flowers sprout among slender leaves. Throughout the composition, the aged paper displays fine cracks and worn, textured edges.

Falcon on a Perch

c. 1610

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Amber

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