Identification of bird from a painting (1 Viewer)

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bouguereaufan389

New member

• Nov 21, 2018

• #1

I am trying to identify the bird in this 1645 Danish painting. Because this predates 1869 I will rule out birds of paradise. Before that, there had only been 3 documented birds of paradise skins in Europe and this was certainly not one of them. The specimen has a black forehead, yellow-orange, and red feathers and two long tail wires. It is an early example of taxidermy in millinery. Although the subject is African, the turban is most likely ottoman in origin. I need help finding out the species of the bird and what parts of the bird are on display. Any suggestions are appreciated. :t::t:

 

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Nov 21, 2018

• #2

Welcome to BirdForum. I must admit the bird looks a lot like a Bird of Paradise to me - possibly a Greater.

 

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mark clements

New member

• Nov 21, 2018

• #3

BoP had been Identified, sketched and given taxonomic binomials prior to the 1869 date you are using. Linnaeus named the Greater in 1758.
So why discount it, there may have been a head dress on the model, or it may have been from sketches made elsewhere?
Seriously, I am interested to understand your quest as it seems that the painting could do with a cleaning to bring out the colour, but also, do you know for sure it was painted in Denmark, or was it a Danish artist elsewhere?

Also, I trust that you are not looking to recreate the head dress 3

Welcome to the Forum.

 

Microtus

Maryland USA (he/him)

• Nov 21, 2018

• #4

From the Wikipedia article on the family Paradisaeidae: Best known are the members of the genus Paradisaea, including the type species, the greater bird-of-paradise, Paradisaea apoda. This species was described from specimens brought back to Europe from trading expeditions in the early sixteenth century.

 

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bouguereaufan389

New member

• Nov 21, 2018

• #5

Thank You guys very much. It most likely is a greater bird of paradise then. The artist painted this for the danish court, but he is Dutch.

 

jurek

Well-known member

• Nov 21, 2018

• #6

I think definitely Greater BoP. Other Paradisaea species have red ornamental feathers or yellow head continues over the back.