Ornament with Owl Mocked by Day Birds
Martin Schongauer German
Not on view
Martin Schongauer concealed a sinister narrative within this lively pattern of Gothic leaves. Six birds tucked throughout the ornament caw in derision at an owl, which carries a small bird in its beak. During the late fifteenth century in northern Europe, the carnivorous owl was often associated with negative concepts, such as sin and greed.
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