Bed from Repository of Arts 1816
Wall plate shaped like a bird cage, covered with a blue tent
Delft, circa 1780
© The Decorative Arts / Photo: Jean Tholance
These trompe-l’oeil bird cages produced in Delft were designed to be hung on a wall or to be inserted into larger tile compositions . The many depictions of birds in the production of Delft have been linked with the famous aviaries in the palace of Queen Mary II. This example with the cage covered with a fabric is one of the most sophisticated. These scenes remind us that from the late fifteenth century Dutch painters, with their attention to detail and research on perspective, specialized in the art of illusion. For a new social class, the bourgeoisie, the paintings change size to accommodate domestic and more mundane topics such as genre painting take the place history painting. Moreover, the impact of the Reformation with its deep aversion to religious images : still life and landscapes dominate painting. Within this tradition, these trompe l’oeil birds in their cages are used in more or less refined versions.
