
Read the visual description
This is a painting of two American Pied-bill Dobchicks swimming in a body of water surrounded by lush greenery. The painting depicts two birds swimming closely together, their sleek brown and white bodies partially submerged in the water. They have sharp beaks and are positioned in a dynamic diagonal that guides the viewer's eye from the foreground to the background, through a lush array of green, leaf-filled plants. The background is rich with dense vegetation, featuring long, elegant reeds and a small branch with a slightly twisted form adding variety to the scene.
National Gallery of Art · Print
American Pied-Bill Dobchick
Robert Havell after John James Audubon
- Date
- 1835
- Medium
- hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper
- Classification
- Accession number
- 1945.8.248
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James
- Time span
- 1826 to 1850
- Department
- CG-W
Portfolio and series
- Series
- The Birds of America: Plate CCXLVIII
Subjects and terms
- American
- etching
- aquatint
- plant
- bird
- animal
- Water
- Leaf
- Grass
NGA object ID 32389. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.