Angry Swan
18th century
Medium
Black and white chalk on blue paper
Dimensions
9 3/4 x 14 15/16 in. (24.8 x 38 cm.)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, The Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ittleson Jr. Purchase Fund, 1970
Accession Number
1970.133
Tags
Art Historical Context
Jean-Baptiste Oudry's *Angry Swan*, an exquisite 18th-century drawing, captures fierce temperament of its subject with remarkable vitality. A leading French Rococo artist (1686–1755), Oudry was renowned for his masterful depictions of animals, often blending naturalistic observation with dramatic flair. Working during the opulent reign of Louis XV, he served as director of the Gobelins manufactory, where studies like this one likely served as preparatory sketches for larger woven masterpieces or paintings. The swan's ruffled feathers and intense gaze evoke both the bird's real-life aggression ...
About the Artist
Jean-Baptiste Oudry · 1686–1755
Comment on works: Fish; Game; Dogs; Hunt scenes