English School early 19th century
A Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus Ruber) standing in a Stream, a Snake in its Beak
Exhibitions:
Essay:
The scarlet ibis is a wading bird native to tropical South America and the Caribbean. The bird would have been an exotic novelty to Europeans when they first saw it as its remarkable red plumage is quite unlike the black and white ibises known to Egypt. The artist likely imagined the scenery surrounding the bird, but he must have been reliably informed about the behaviour of the ibis as small snakes are a part of its diet.
Both Tobias Stranover and Aert Schouman painted the scarlet ibis on at least one occasion. (For the former see Sotheby's, New York, 28 Jan. 2022, lot 358. For the latter see Sotheby's, New York, 30 Jan. 2014, lot 39). It is gratifying to note that in all three pictures the ibis strikes very different poses indicating that the artists did not copy designs from one another, even though they probably would not all have had live specimens to study.
Provenance:
Private collection, Ireland.
