Artwork
A Bird Perched on a Branch with Fruit
A Bird Perched on a Branch with Fruit is an ink drawing by the Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna. It dates from 1464 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
A Bird Perched on a Branch with Fruit is a drawing created by Andrea Mantegna around 1464 using pen and brown ink on laid paper.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a bird grasping a slender branch adorned with small fruit-like shapes, its wings slightly outstretched and tail feathers fanned out. The precise rendering of the bird's plumage and texture suggests a focus on naturalistic detail.
Technique & Style
Mantegna employed swift, precise lines to capture the bird's features, complemented by subtle shading that imbues the subject with depth. The artist's use of line work and texture reflects his characteristic sculptural approach to representation.
Context
As a prominent artist and workshop leader in Venice, Mantegna was known for his innovative use of perspective and his influence on print production before 1500.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Andrea Mantegna (UK: , US: ; Italian: ; c. 1431 – September 13, 1506) was an Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Roman archaeology, and the son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna…
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