Famous Bird Paintings

Swans, herons, parrots and hens, from Dutch barnyards to American marshes.

45 paintings, with works by Winslow Homer, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Charles-François Daubigny and Peter Paul Rubens. Most often they suit the living room, bedroom and kids' room.

45 paintings

Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga (1784–1792), Francisco de Goya, 1787–88, oil on canvas

Francisco de Goya Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga (1784–1792), 1787–88 The Met

Young Lady in 1866, Édouard Manet, 1866, oil on canvas

Édouard Manet Young Lady in 1866, 1866 The Met

Rubens, Helena Fourment (1614–1673), and Their Son Frans (1633–1678), Peter Paul Rubens, ca. 1635, oil on wood

Peter Paul Rubens Rubens, Helena Fourment (1614–1673), and Their Son Frans (1633–1678), ca. 1635 The Met

A heronǳ silhouette sits amongst the brush in a golden hued forest.

George Inness The Home of the Heron, 1893 Art Institute of Chicago

Landscape painting featuring a wavy tree tree in the foreground and a watermill with a red roof adjacent to a river at right. Colors are subdued earth tones, the foliage a dark green and the river a muddy brown.

Meindert Hobbema The Watermill with the Great Red Roof, c. 1665 Art Institute of Chicago

Painting of a cabin set below a dark blue sky and fluffy white clouds. Behind it is a field of many small white dots. In front, a dark-skinned woman sits and a dark-skinned child plays among roaming chickens and dogs in a fenced-in yard.

Horace Pippin Cabin in the Cotton, c. 1931–37 Art Institute of Chicago

Still life painting of dead waterfowl and vegetables in windowsill.

Juan Sánchez Cotán Still Life with Game Fowl, c. 1600–3 Art Institute of Chicago

Painting of the Annunciation, dove flying above Mary with angel.

Jean Hey, The Annunciation, 1490–95 Art Institute of Chicago

King Anushirwan and the Owls, from the Khamsa of Nizami, Islamic, Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), c.1535, ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Islamic King Anushirwan and the Owls, from the Khamsa of Nizami, Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), c.1535 Art Institute of Chicago

The Young Emperor Akbar Arrests the Insolent Shah Abu’l-Maali, Page from a Manuscript of the Akbarnama, Basawan, Mughal dynasty (1526-1857), c. 1590-1595, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Basawan The Young Emperor Akbar Arrests the Insolent Shah Abu’l-Maali, Page from a Manuscript of the Akbarnama, Mughal dynasty (1526-1857), c. 1590-1595 Art Institute of Chicago

The Dreamer (La Rêveuse), Antoine Watteau, 1712–14, oil on panel

Antoine Watteau The Dreamer (La Rêveuse), 1712–14 Art Institute of Chicago

No te aha oe riri (Why Are You Angry?), Paul Gauguin, 1896, oil on jute canvas

Paul Gauguin No te aha oe riri (Why Are You Angry?), 1896 Art Institute of Chicago

Pushing for Rail, Thomas Eakins, 1874, oil on canvas

Thomas Eakins Pushing for Rail, 1874 The Met

Study for Eagle Head, Manchester, Massachusetts, Winslow Homer, 1869 (?), oil on wood

Winslow Homer Study for Eagle Head, Manchester, Massachusetts, 1869 (?) The Met

Allegory of Lyric Poetry, François Boucher, 1753, oil on canvas

François Boucher Allegory of Lyric Poetry, 1753 The Met

The Silver Tureen, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, ca. 1728–30, oil on canvas

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin The Silver Tureen, ca. 1728–30 The Met

After the Hunt, Gustave Courbet, ca. 1859, oil on canvas

Gustave Courbet After the Hunt, ca. 1859 The Met

Barbara Claes (died 1663, called “Malle Babbe”), Frans Hals, 1637, oil on canvas

Frans Hals Barbara Claes (died 1663, called “Malle Babbe”), 1637 The Met

Autumn Landscape with a Flock of Turkeys, Jean-François Millet, 1872–73, oil on canvas

Jean-François Millet Autumn Landscape with a Flock of Turkeys, 1872–73 The Met

The Chariot of Aurora, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1760s, oil on canvas

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo The Chariot of Aurora, 1760s The Met

At least one rowboat occupied by two people floats on a lake, which is surrounded by lush green vegetation in this vertical landscape painting.

Berthe Morisot Girl in a Boat with Geese, c. 1889 National Gallery of Art

Woman Feeding Chickens, Jean-François Millet, 1846-48, oil on canvas

Jean-François Millet Woman Feeding Chickens, 1846-48 Art Institute of Chicago

Eagle Head, Manchester, Massachusetts (High Tide), Winslow Homer, 1870, oil on canvas

Winslow Homer Eagle Head, Manchester, Massachusetts (High Tide), 1870 The Met

The Flight into Egypt, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, ca. 1767–70, oil on canvas

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo The Flight into Egypt, ca. 1767–70 The Met

Young Woman with Ibis, Edgar Degas, 1857–58; reworked 1860–62, oil on canvas

Edgar Degas Young Woman with Ibis, 1857–58; reworked 1860–62 The Met

The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth, Saint John, and a Dove, Peter Paul Rubens, ca. 1608–9, oil on oak

Peter Paul Rubens The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth, Saint John, and a Dove, ca. 1608–9 The Met

The Apotheosis of the Spanish Monarchy, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1760s, oil on canvas

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo The Apotheosis of the Spanish Monarchy, 1760s The Met

The Dispatch of the Messenger, François Boucher, 1765, oil on canvas

François Boucher The Dispatch of the Messenger, 1765 The Met

We look onto two black-headed ducks twisting and flailing midair against a slate-gray landscape in this horizontal painting. The silvery white body of the bird to our left faces us as its neck twists to our left, its black wings extended.

Winslow Homer Right and Left, 1909 National Gallery of Art

The Coronation of the Virgin, Annibale Carracci, after 1595, oil on canvas

Annibale Carracci The Coronation of the Virgin, after 1595 The Met

The Marsh, Charles-François Daubigny, 1871, oil on panel

Charles-François Daubigny The Marsh, 1871 Art Institute of Chicago

David: "Oh, that I had wings like a Dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest." Psalm 55:6, Frederic Leighton, 1865, oil on fabric

Frederic Leighton David: "Oh, that I had wings like a Dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest." Psalm 55:6, 1865 Cleveland Museum of Art

The Raffle (Raffling for the Goose), William Sidney Mount, 1837, oil on mahogany

William Sidney Mount The Raffle (Raffling for the Goose), 1837 The Met

Landscape with Ducks, Charles-François Daubigny, 1872, oil on wood

Charles-François Daubigny Landscape with Ducks, 1872 The Met

Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms, Martin Johnson Heade, 1875, oil on canvas

Martin Johnson Heade Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms, 1875 The Met

The Falls of Niagara, Edward Hicks, ca. 1825, oil on canvas

Edward Hicks The Falls of Niagara, ca. 1825 The Met

Omnia Vincit Amor, or The Power of Love in the Three Elements, Benjamin West, 1809, oil on canvas

Benjamin West Omnia Vincit Amor, or The Power of Love in the Three Elements, 1809 The Met

Vibrantly colored geometric painting of a central white and blue waterfall with birds visible through it. A stylized red jungle cat and black wild boar drink at bottom right.

Franz Marc The Bewitched Mill, 1913 Art Institute of Chicago

A River Landscape with Storks, Charles-François Daubigny, 1864, oil on wood

Charles-François Daubigny A River Landscape with Storks, 1864 The Met

Against a distant, hazy, verdant forest, a petal-pink and amethyst-purple orchid grows from a mossy branch close to us, to our left, while three jewel-toned hummingbirds gather around a nest to our right in this horizontal painting.

Martin Johnson Heade Cattleya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds, 1871 National Gallery of Art

Ecce Agnus Dei, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1655, oil on canvas

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Ecce Agnus Dei, c. 1655 Art Institute of Chicago

This painting shows a young girl sitting in a wooden chair, facing the right. She has pale skin, rosy cheeks, a slightly upturned nose, and long, brown hair put up behind her head. She is wearing a pale green dress and black shoes.

Eastman Johnson The Pets, 1856 National Gallery of Art

Our Lady of Valvanera, Unknown artist, ca. 1770–80, oil and gold on canvas

Unknown artist Our Lady of Valvanera, ca. 1770–80 The Met

The image shows three individuals against a natural background. On the left, a man is seated on the ground, his body wrapped in a beige cloth. He has long, dark hair and a solemn expression, holding a long pipe.

George Catlin Old Menomonie Chief with Two Young Beaux, 1861/1869 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a bowl of red raspberries resting on a surface. The bowl is pale blue with blue details on the rim, and it is surrounded by a pile of pale peaches and pears, red plums, and green and purple grapes.

Charles V. Bond Still Life: Fruit, Bird, and Dwarf Pear Tree, 1856 National Gallery of Art

Famous Bird Paintings

Rooms these paintings suit

Styles