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The image shows a figure feeding pigs. The individual has animal ears and is pouring apples into a trough, while three pigs are eating. The figure is dressed in period-style clothing with a hood, and the pigs are of varying sizes. The pigs are engaged with the food, and the scene is drawn with detailed and delicate style, highlighting the features of both the figure and the pigs. The artwork portrays a pastoral moment, depicting agrarian life and the interaction between humans and animals.
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The image shows a figure feeding pigs. The individual has animal ears and is pouring apples into a trough, while three pigs are eating. The figure is dressed in period-style clothing with a hood, and the pigs are of varying sizes. The pigs are engaged with the food, and the scene is drawn with detailed and delicate style, highlighting the features of both the figure and the pigs. The artwork portrays a pastoral moment, depicting agrarian life and the interaction between humans and animals.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

A Fool Feeding Flowers to Swine [fol. 42 recto]

French early 16th Century

Date
c. 1512/1515
Medium
pen and brown ink with watercolor on laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 16.2 x 10.6 cm (6 3/8 x 4 3/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
2006.11.41
Credit line
Woodner Collection, Gift of Andrea Woodner
Time span
1501 to 1550
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Portfolio and series

Series
Speculum principis (Mirror for Princes)

Subjects and terms

  • French
  • Flower
  • Costume
  • Food
  • animal
  • Man
Provenance

(Sale, London, Sotheby's, 13 July 1937, lot 64); (sale, London, Sotheby's, 15-17 November 1937, lot 546); (sale, London, Maggs Bros., Ltd., catalogue 709, 1941, no. 30); (purchased by William H. Schab Gallery via Paul Graupe); purchased by Ian Woodner, New York, by 1973; by inheritance to his daughters, Andrea and Dian Woodner, New York, 1990.

NGA object ID 86050. 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.