My First Egg

This oil on canvas represents poultry in a chicken-house rejoicing the detail of the chicken that has just laid its first egg: “My First Egg”, by José Maria Sousa de Moura Girão.
This painter was disciple of Tomás da Anunciação and Miguel Lupi, formed in academia, distinguished himself as animalist, especially as interpreter of poultry. He was restorer at the National Museum of Ancient Art for 36 years, and presented his works at the exhibitions of the Sociedade Promotora das Belas Artes [Eng. trans. Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts], at Grupo do Leão, at Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes [Eng. trans. National Society of Fine Arts], and at the Portuguese Exhibition in Rio de Janeiro in 1908. He was member of the Grupo do Leão, a group of remarkable Portuguese artists, and therefore appeared on the famous 1885 painting by Columbano that portrays this get-together of artists.
Hence, this work marks he maturity of the artist on the animalist trend of Naturalism and only on Girão’s beloved theme: Poultry.