Artwork
Double-Wattled Cassowary and Finches
Double-Wattled Cassowary and Finches is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Adriaen Collaert. It dates from 1600 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Adriaen Collaert’s early‑17th‑century engraving, titled Double‑Wattled Cassowary and Finches, presents a detailed natural scene on laid paper. The composition centers on a sizable, flightless bird with a distinctive double wattles, accompanied by two smaller finches—one perched, the other airborne—set against a pastoral landscape of trees, hills and a distant village.
Subject & Meaning
The principal figure is a cassowary, a large, ground‑dwelling bird native to the Australasian region, recognizable by its long neck, powerful legs and characteristic double wattles. Flanking it are finches, small songbirds noted for vivid plumage and melodic calls, suggesting a juxtaposition of exotic and familiar fauna within a harmonious natural setting.
Technique & Style
Collaert employed traditional engraving methods, using fine cross‑hatching to render texture and depth. The meticulous line work delineates feather detail, musculature and the varied terrain, while subtle tonal gradations convey light and shadow, creating a three‑dimensional impression on the flat paper surface.
History & Provenance
Executed around 1600, the print reflects the period’s burgeoning interest in zoological illustration and the circulation of exotic species through European collections. Though specific ownership records are scarce, the work is typical of Collaert’s output for the Plantin publishing house, which disseminated natural history images across the continent.
Context
The engraving belongs to a broader tradition of early modern natural history prints that combined scientific observation with artistic embellishment. Its inclusion of a cassowary—a bird largely unknown in Europe at the time—illustrates the era’s fascination with distant lands and the expanding knowledge of global biodiversity.
Artist & collection
