A Rooster and Turkey Fighting
Melchior de Hondecoeter
c. 1680
One of the most fashionable artists of his time, Hondecoeter specialized in paintings of domestic and exotic birds, and other animals. Here the composition is enlivened by the swirl and excitement of the fighting rooster and turkey, set in a garden with classical architecture. A large picture like this must have been placed high over a fireplace in a rich Amsterdam house.