Magpie and Another Bird
c. 1600
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 13 x 18.8 cm (5 1/8 x 7 3/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of The Circle of the National Gallery of Art
Accession Number
1993.32.1.ff
Art Historical Context
Adriaen Collaert's *Magpie and Another Bird (c. 1600) captures the intricate beauty of avian life through the precise art of engraving on laid paper. A master Flemish engraver from Antwerp, Collaert was part of a renowned family of printmakers during the late Renaissance, producing thousands of detailed reproductive prints after designs by leading artists. This small plate (13 x 18.8 cm) exemplifies the Northern European tradition of natural history illustration, where birds like the clever magpie—often symbolizing curiosity or mischief in folklore—were rendered with lifelike precision to deli...