Vanellus, Vanneau (The Lapwing), from "Livre d'Oyseaux" (Book of Birds)
1655–60
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 x 7 15/16 in. (10.2 x 20.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund and Thomas and Lore Firman Gift, 2011
Accession Number
2011.467.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate etching *Vanellus, VanneauThe Lapwing)* from Albert Flamen's *Livre d'Oyseaux* (Book Birds), created between 1655 and 1660. Flemish artist Albert Flamen, active in 17th-century Antwerp, renowned for his meticulous depictions of nature, blending scientific precision with artistic elegance during the Dutch Golden Age's fascination with the natural world. This print the lapwing—a distinctive wading bird known for its crested head and erratic flight—in a poised, naturalistic pose amid subtle landscape elements, reflecting the era's growing interest in ornithology and detailed o...