Birds in a Landscape

The idea of painting large-scale decorative canvases full of exotic birds in a formal garden setting was invented in Holland by Melchior de Hondecoeter (1636-95, see for example 405354). Bogdani was born in Hungary and moved to Amsterdam in 1684, where Melchior de Hondecoeter was then working and where Bogdani must have learned or at least perfected his specialism – the depiction of plants, birds and animals. In 1688 he settled in England, where, according to George Vertue, he was ‘much encouraged’ by Queen Anne as well as working for William III.

This is one of a group of eight exotic bird paintings which Bogdani created for Admiral Churchill’s aviary at Frogmore (OM 472-5 and 478-81, 406150, 406140, 405686, 407212, 402906, 402908, 403512, 403920). George Churchill (1654-1710) was the younger brother of the Duke of Marlborough, who in 1706 rented Ranger’s Lodge in the ‘Little Park’ (now Home Park) at Windsor; in this he was helped by his sister-in-law, Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744), favourite of the Queen and Ranger of Windsor Great Park from 1702 until her death. At Ranger’s Lodge he constructed a magnificent aviary, to which he devoted himself after his retirement from the Navy in 1708. This aviary must have been very close to the one built by Prince Albert and subsequently turned into cottages. Bogdani must have painted these scenes of birds and animals for Churchill between 1708 and his death in 1710; they were acquired by Queen Anne from his executors.

Signed 'J. Bogdani'