Girl Playing with a Bird on a String
Artist
Jean Raoux
(French, 1677-1734, active in Paris)
Date1717
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFramed ((3 1/2 in center) crating approved): 54 x 43 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (137.2 x 110.5 x 8.3 cm)
Overall: 45 3/16 × 34 5/8 × 7/8 in. (114.7 × 87.9 × 2.2 cm)
Overall: 45 3/16 × 34 5/8 × 7/8 in. (114.7 × 87.9 × 2.2 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN375
In the 1700s in France, bird- catching was a metaphor for the pursuit of love. Images of women playing with captive birds were emblematic of the total submission of lovers to their mistresses. The girl here toys delightedly with her fettered goldfinch. Then and today, the expression “being tied down” is used to describe a romantic relationship in which one person is so smitten with the other that they are at their mercy.
On View
On viewLocation
- Museum of Art, Gallery 15, Wall North
