Swan

The painting is attributed to the Dutch animalist Abraham Busschop (Bisschop) (1670–1729/1730), dated around 1700 or slightly later. The artist was the son and student of the painter Cornelis Busschop (1630-1674), who worked, among other places, in his hometown Dordrecht and at the Danish court.

Abraham's biography is known only from scarce source information. The painting could have been created in Middelburg, where Abraham Bisschop moved from his hometown Dordrecht around 1700. In Middelburg in 1715 he is mentioned as a member of the Guild of St. Luke. He lived in this city until his death.

The image depicts a swan occupying most of the frame. The bird is facing to the right, with its neck stretched upwards and bent, and its beak open. Next to him is a sitting duck with white and brown plumage and a dark head. Under the swan lies the suggestively depicted covert feather of this bird, and in the foreground, we see a thorny twig and plants resembling fungi. Behind the swan, there are tree trunks, reeds, shrubs and a plant with fleshy leaves and a large red flower. In the back, on the right, there is another water bird (it may be a heron, cormorant or another similar bird). In the distance, you can see the protruding trunk of a broken tree, darkening, hills and the evening sky in a yellowish glow.