Skip to main content

Pieter de Hooch, 'A Man with Dead Birds, and Other Figures, in a Stable', about 1655

Key facts
Full title A Man with Dead Birds, and Other Figures, in a Stable
Artist Pieter de Hooch
Artist dates 1629 - after 1684
Date made about 1655
Medium and support oil on wood
Dimensions 53.5 × 49.7 cm
Acquisition credit Presented by F.N. and O.S. Ashcroft in memory of their parents, 1924
Inventory number NG3881
Location Not on display
Collection Main Collection
A Man with Dead Birds, and Other Figures, in a Stable
Pieter de Hooch
/

A dog sniffs at a heap of dead birds on the floor, but the focus of this quiet scene seems to be on the young woman cradling her baby. She looks down at the creatures, her expression shuttered. The picture was originally quite different: beneath the birds, which were added during the nineteenth century, is the figure of a wounded man, probably a soldier.

A series of rectangles – some open, some closed – define the space and give a glimpse of the fascination and skill in the use of perspective that became central to de Hooch’s work. On the right, clothes draped over a wooden plank catch the light, giving depth to the shadowy area behind it. To the left, sketchily painted objects hang on another wooden half wall; behind them, a web of narrow beams angle upwards to give height to the ceiling overhead.

Download image
Download low-resolution image

Download a low-resolution copy of this image for personal use.

License this image

License and download a high-resolution image for reproductions up to A3 size from the National Gallery Picture Library.

License image
Download low-resolution image

This image is licensed for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons agreement.

Examples of non-commercial use are:

  • Research, private study, or for internal circulation within an educational organisation (such as a school, college or university)
  • Non-profit publications, personal websites, blogs, and social media

The image file is 800 pixels on the longest side.

As a charity, we depend upon the generosity of individuals to ensure the collection continues to engage and inspire. Help keep us free by making a donation today.

Download low-resolution image

You must agree to the Creative Commons terms and conditions to download this image.

Creative Commons Logo