Unidentified bird painting (1 Viewer)

C

Catman

New member

• Dec 11, 2017

• #1

This is a painting of a bird on a bottle that I need help identifying. Any information would be appreciated!
Thanks, Ca

 

RafaelMatias

Unknown member

• Dec 11, 2017

• #2

It seems to represent a kind of generic heron, but possibly a Grey Heron.

Welcome to Bird Forum!

 

nartreb

Speak softly and carry a long lens

• Dec 11, 2017

• #3

Any idea where the painting was done? Can't see the photo too clearly but the depiction looks fairly lifelike, so knowing the location would help distinguish between, say, grey heron (Europe) and great blue heron (North America) which are almost identical.

Also, was the bottle part of a set? I can't help but be reminded of the Aesop fable "the Fox and the Crane" - in some versions the bird is a heron or a stork. Is there a matching bowl with a fox on it?

 

C

Catman

New member

• Dec 11, 2017

• #4

The bottle is 1860’s to 1880’s but based on othe examples of the bottle, the bird wasn’t part of the original design as the bottle wouldn’t have originally been painted

 

C

Catman

New member

• Dec 11, 2017

• #5

Also it is not a set

 

nartreb

Speak softly and carry a long lens

• Dec 12, 2017

• #6

Then I agree with Rafael: it's a large heron, probably in genus Ardea. The grey heron is a good match; there's that dark crest on the head, and the contrastingly pale neck. Other Ardea herons (especially great blue) are also possible.

I'm reasonably confident that the artist put in enough accurate detail to rule out other long-legged birds like cranes. They have similarly sharp beaks and some species have crests, but none quite match the color pattern shown here.