Cuttings from a Modelbook with a Rooster, a Hen and her Chicks, and a Rabbit
Not on view
The practice of working from model books likely stretches back to the ancient world, but very few examples of such works survive from medieval Europe. These three fragments represent rare survivals from this tradition. The keenly observed movements of the animals suggest that the artist spent a lot of time in the barnyard, watching little chicks learning to eat and a curious rabbit sniffing the air. The rooster and hen may be identified as a specific breed of chicken that originated in northern Italy, which matches the overall style of the drawings, while the rabbit seems to be of a French type instead. Models such as these could be incorporated into a variety of contexts, from panel paintings with detailed landscapes and animals in the background, to devotional books decorated with marginal scenes from nature, to animal fables such as those associated with Renard the Fox, whose stories included a rooster named Chanticleer.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
