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Connections: Birding

Editor Dale Tucker attempts to identify the many species of birds depicted throughout The Met collection.

March 24, 2011

4 min. watch

"I think every birder has a secret fantasy of finding some lost or extinct species in his or her backyard. I'm certainly no different."

Editor Dale Tucker attempts to identify the many species of birds depicted throughout The Met collection.

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Art Mentioned

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Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms, Martin Johnson Heade American, Oil on canvas, American — Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms
Martin Johnson Heade
1875

Hummingbird and Passionflowers, Martin Johnson Heade American, Oil on canvas, American — Hummingbird and Passionflowers
Martin Johnson Heade
ca. 1875–85

Newburyport Meadows, Martin Johnson Heade American, Oil on canvas, American — Newburyport Meadows
Martin Johnson Heade
ca. 1876–81

Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons, Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, gold, and gold leaf on paper, Japan — Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons
Japan
late 16th century

Sugar Loaf Islands, Farallons, Carleton E. Watkins American, Albumen silver print from glass negative — Sugar Loaf Islands, Farallons
Carleton E. Watkins
1868–69

Feathered Tunic, Cotton, feathers, Chimú — Feathered Tunic
Chimú
15th–early 17th century

Earflare with Condor, Silver, gold, gilded copper, shell, Moche — Earflare with Condor
Moche
6th–7th century

Breastplate (Tema, Tambe, or Tepatu), Tridacna shell, turtle shell, trade cloth, fiber, Santa Cruz Islands — Breastplate (Tema, Tambe, or Tepatu)
Santa Cruz Islands
late 19th–early 20th century

Vulture Vessel, Ceramic, Mexica (Aztec) — Vulture Vessel
Mexica (Aztec)
1200–1521

Pendant (Ulute or Papafita), Tridacna shell, fiber, pigment, Solomon Islander — Pendant (Ulute or Papafita)
Solomon Islander
19th–early 20th century

Hornbill Figure, Wood, paint, glass beads, metal, Iban people — Hornbill Figure
Iban people
late 19th–early 20th century

A Lyre Bird, Charles Meryon French, Graphite — A Lyre Bird
Charles Meryon
ca. 1846–55

A Lady Feeding a Bird, Charles Martin French, Pen and ink, watercolor, and lead white on laid paper. — A Lady Feeding a Bird
Charles Martin
1913

The Magic Bird (Der Wundervogel), Josef Diveky Hungarian, Color lithograph — The Magic Bird (Der Wundervogel)
Josef Diveky
Wiener Werkstätte
1911

Peacocks, Melchior d' Hondecoeter Dutch, Oil on canvas — Peacocks
Melchior d' Hondecoeter
1683

Tile with Image of Phoenix, Stonepaste; modeled, underglaze painted in blue and turquoise, luster-painted on opaque white ground — Tile with Image of Phoenix
late 13th century

"Red-Headed Vulture and Long-Billed Vulture", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album, Mansur, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper — "Red-Headed Vulture and Long-Billed Vulture", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album
Mansur
Mir 'Ali Haravi
verso: ca. 1615–20; recto: ca. 1535–45

"The Concourse of the Birds", Folio 11r from a Mantiq al-Tayr (Language of the Birds), Habiballah of Sava Iranian, Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper — "The Concourse of the Birds", Folio 11r from a Mantiq al-Tayr (Language of the Birds)
Habiballah of Sava
Farid al-Din `Attar
ca. 1600

Black Stork in a Landscape, Opaque watercolor on European paper — Black Stork in a Landscape
ca. 1780

Plate with Pelican in her Piety, Brass, Netherlandish — Plate with Pelican in her Piety
Netherlandish
15th century

Side Drum, Ernest Vogt American, Wood, calf skin, rope, American — Side Drum
Ernest Vogt
ca. 1864