A Perch of Birds, Hector Giacomelli, circa 1880s

Twenty-four finches, varying in pose and color, are perched in a row. This watercolor is a variant of one of the artist's most popular subjects, "un bâton de cage. " another variation of this composition in the lucas collection of the baltimore museum of art is inscribed: "giacomelli à mr. Lucas affecteux souvenir d'une aquarelle. " henri beraldi wrote of this artist, "giacomelli is the van huysum [jan van huysum, 1682-1749, dutch flower-painter] of tiny birds, tender and ravishing, which give the impression of being pensive. The bird is to giacomelli what the cat is to lambert [louis-eugène lambert, 1825-1900, french painter who specialized in cat subjects]. A respectable bird must be a giacomelli bird; a non-giacomelli bird is a false bird," (h. Beraldi, "les graveurs du xixe siècle," paris, 1885-92, 7:105). Date: circa 1880s. Place of creation: France. Dimensions: height: 17.8 cm (7 in); width: 48.4 cm (19 in). Medium: drawing, paper, watercolor over graphite. Collection: Walters Art Museum. Hector Giacomelli - A Perch of Birds - Walters 37963 - Front Mark