Artwork

Bird-Catching by a Decoy with a Whistle and a Net (decorative painting for a supper-box at Vauxhall Gardens, London)

Bird-Catching by a Decoy with a Whistle and a Net (decorative painting for a supper-box at Vauxhall Gardens, London) is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Francis Hayman. It dates from 1741 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1741 by Francis Hayman, this oil on canvas was originally intended as decorative paneling for a supper‑box at London’s Vauxhall Gardens. The work now belongs to the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it is displayed as an example of mid‑eighteenth‑century garden entertainment art.

Subject & Meaning

The composition depicts a kneeling woman in a blue bodice and long skirt, cradling a spherical object that suggests a bird‑decoy. She gazes upward while a small group of onlookers, one holding a staff, watches her activity. The surrounding trees and distant hills frame a lively scene of leisure and sport, reflecting the popular pastime of bird‑catching in the period.

Technique & Style

Hayman employs a clear, luminous palette typical of Rococo domestic scenes, using soft brushwork to render the woman's clothing and the foliage. The oil medium allows subtle gradations of light across the cloudy sky and rolling landscape, creating depth while maintaining a decorative flatness suitable for the supper‑box setting.

History & Provenance

After its commission for Vauxhall Gardens, the panel remained in situ until the 19th‑century dispersal of garden furnishings. It entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s holdings through acquisition in the early 1900s, where it has been conserved as part of the museum’s decorative arts collection.

Context

Vauxhall Gardens was a leading pleasure garden where music, fireworks, and visual spectacles attracted a broad public. Hayman’s work, designed to adorn a dining alcove, illustrates how art was integrated into social spaces, providing patrons with thematic imagery that echoed contemporary leisure activities such as bird‑catching.

Artist & collection

Artist

Francis Hayman

Francis Hayman (1708 – 2 February 1776) was an English painter and illustrator who became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768, and later its first librarian.