Description
A vigorous portrayal of two peregrine falcons with their fresh duck prey, John James Audubon's painting relates to his groundbreaking Birds of America publication that sought to depict every species of native North American bird posed in action with elements of their habitats. Based on his artistic and scientific successes, Audubon became the premier naturalist in the United States. After his death, he continued to be associated with bird and nature conservation, and several organizations devoted to such causes were named in his honor. However, in recent years, as Audubon's slaveholding and looting of Indigenous graves has become more widely acknowledged, an increasing number of these groups are changing their names.
Provenance
John James Audubon [1785-1851], New York, NY, by descent to his wife, Lucy Bakewell Audubon (c. 1827-); Lucy Bakewell Audubon [1787-1874], New York, NY, by descent to her son, John Woodhouse Audubon (?); John Woodhouse Audubon [1812-1862], New York, NY, by descent to his daughter, Lucy A. Williams (?); Lucy Audubon Williams [1838-1909], Greenburgh, Westerchester, NY, probably by descent to her grandson, Charles F. Edwards (?); Charles F. Edwards [1878-1954], Chicago, IL and Alameda, CA, by descent to his sister, Margaret McCormick (?); Mrs. H.V. (Margaret) McCormick, Long Island, NY and Staten Island, NY, sold to Kennedy Galleries (?); (Kennedy Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (by 1964); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (1964-)
Accession Number
1964.351
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Framed: 74.9 x 101 x 10.2 cm (29 1/2 x 39 3/4 x 4 in.); Unframed: 64.5 x 91.5 cm (25 3/8 x 36 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of the American Foundation for the Maud E. and Warren H. Corning Botanical Collection
Tags
Painting Neoclassical & Romantic (1751–1850) Oil Painting Canvas American Color: Orange Color: Brown
Background & Context
Background Story
John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a French-American ornithologist and painter known for The Birds of America, the monumental work of ornithological illustration that depicts over 400 species of American birds in life-size watercolor engravings. Peregrine Falcons (Duck Hawks) from c. 1827 depicts the birds in the dramatic, life-size manner that distinguishes Audubon's best plates from the more static illustrations of his predecessors. The c. 1827 date places this in the period when Audubon was producing the plates for The Birds of America that would establish his reputation as the most important ornithological illustrator in history.
Cultural Impact
Peregrine Falcons (Duck Hawks) is important in the history of ornithological illustration because it demonstrates the dramatic, life-size manner that Audubon brought to The Birds of America. Audubon's transformation of ornithological illustration—from the static, specimen-style illustrations of his predecessors to the dramatic, life-size paintings that show birds in their natural habitats—represents one of the most important developments in the history of natural history illustration, and the Peregrine Falcons plate shows this transformation at its most dramatic.
Why It Matters
Peregrine Falcons (Duck Hawks) is Audubon's dramatic ornithological illustration: the birds depicted in dramatic, life-size poses that show them in their natural habitats rather than as static specimens. The c. 1827 plate from The Birds of America shows the transformation of natural history illustration from static display to dramatic naturalism.
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