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A pair of Brahminy ducks

c. 1595; borders added probably 1800s
Gum tempera on paper, mounted with later pink and blue borders
Page: 28.3 x 19.8 cm (11 1/8 x 7 13/16 in.); Painting: 8.6 x 4.5 cm (3 3/8 x 1 3/4 in.)
Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 2013.299
Location: not on view
Public Domain
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Did You Know?

Delicate dots articulate the texture of webbed feet and toothy row in the beak.

Description

The Brahminy duck, also known as the ruddy shelduck, can be found throughout Southern Europe, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. This painting accurately depicts the orange coloring of Brahminy ducks and the patches of white on their wings. They are also recognizable by their long legs and short bills. The level of detail in realistic paintings of animals like this one suggests that Mughal artists studied live subjects, such as the waterfowl that lived in Mughal palace gardens.
A pair of Brahminy ducks

A pair of Brahminy ducks

c. 1595; borders added probably 1800s

India, Mughal, 16th century

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