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This is a drawing of several birds in flight. It depicts a collection of small, ink sketches of birds in various poses mid-flight. The birds vary in orientation, with some showing frontal views while others present their profiles. The lines are delicate, capturing the essence of movement. The overall composition has ample negative space surrounding the sketches. The variety in wing shapes and positions suggests a study of avian motion.
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This is a drawing of several birds in flight. It depicts a collection of small, ink sketches of birds in various poses mid-flight. The birds vary in orientation, with some showing frontal views while others present their profiles. The lines are delicate, capturing the essence of movement. The overall composition has ample negative space surrounding the sketches. The variety in wing shapes and positions suggests a study of avian motion.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

Birds in Flight [verso]

Attributed to Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli

Medium
pen and brown ink on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 16.8 x 15.8 cm (6 5/8 x 6 1/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
1977.50.1.b
Credit line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John Steiner
Time span
1401 to 1500
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • bird
  • animal
  • Parmese
Provenance

Joshua Reynolds (Lugt 2364). Mr. and Mrs. John Steiner, Larchmont, NY; gift to NGA in 1977.

Inscription

In graphite at lower right: BB; in graphite at lower center, NRS in a box

Watermarks

Star (Briquet 6097)

NGA object ID 56355. 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.