Birds
Birds in Art
A dove of peace, a goldfinch on a string, a parrot of the exotic — birds bring color, movement, and meaning to a painting. The loveliest birds in the collection, up close.
20 details · cropped from original museum images
Revived birds (partridges)
Garofalo (Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo) · Saint Nicholas of Tolentino Reviving the Birds
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
blue bird
Utagawa Hiroshige · Weeping Cherry and Bluebird
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
small bird perched on a branch
Page from Shi Zhu Zhai
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
full body of Song Sparrow
Allen & Ginter · Song Sparrow, from the Birds of America series (N37) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dove of the Holy Spirit
French; Picardy · Panels from the High Altar of the Charterhouse of Saint-Honoré, Thuison-les-Abbeville: Pentecost
Art Institute of Chicago
singing bird
Yao Shou · Pillars of the Country
Art Institute of Chicago
bird perched on a rock
Shibata Zeshin · Lacquer Paintings of Various Subjects: Bird and Willow in Snow
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dove of the Holy Spirit
Workshop of Bernard van Orley (Netherlandish, 1490–1542) · Pentecost
Art Institute of Chicago
dead Jay (large bird)
Attributed to Pieter Boel (Flemish, 1622-1674) · Dead Birds and Shot Bags
Art Institute of Chicago
central bird
Card
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
small bird perched on a branch
Ding Liangxian · Bird on hibiscus
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Holy Spirit as a Dove
Annibale Carracci · The Coronation of the Virgin
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dove of the Holy Spirit
Alessandro Vittoria (Italian, 1525–1608) · The Annunciation
Art Institute of Chicago
Sparrow in flight
Totoya Hokkei · Roof Tile and Sparrows; Specialities of Mizuno in Imado
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Dove of the Holy Spirit
Philippe de Champaigne · The Annunciation
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Goldfinch (symbol of the Passion)
Paolo Veneziano · Madonna and Child Enthroned
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Dove of the Holy Spirit
Agnolo Gaddi · The Trinity
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
large bird on the left
Johann Heinrich Otto · Fraktur Motifs
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Saint Hugh's Swan
French; Picardy · Panels from the High Altar of the Charterhouse of Saint-Honoré, Thuison-les-Abbeville: Saint Hugh of Lincoln
Art Institute of Chicago
Red bird as a messenger of death
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (English, 1828–1882) · Beata Beatrix
Art Institute of Chicago