19th Century Mallard Duck Trophy Painting

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In the closing years of the nineteenth century, American painters became infatuated with trompe l'oeil—French for "deceive the eye." It … Read more In the closing years of the nineteenth century, American painters became infatuated with trompe l'oeil—French for "deceive the eye." It wasn't enough to paint well. The challenge was to paint so convincingly that guests reached out to touch the nail, untie the string, or lift the bird from the wall. This anonymous sportsman's trophy does exactly that.

A handsome mallard drake hangs upside down from a length of red cord against a weathered knotty wood wall, every feather, every shadow, every subtle shift of light rendered with unapologetic confidence. It's less a still life than a declaration of skill, by both the hunter and the painter.

Even the original Eastlake frame joins the performance, its marble-painted surround and gilt filet completing the illusion that this scene has occupied the same paneled wall for generations. The sort of painting that belongs in a room where bourbon is poured generously, Labradors sleep by the fire, and tomorrow's hunt begins before sunrise. See less