Over the past few weeks, whenever I left my house, I was dive-bombed by birds. At first, the experience was surreal and Hitchcockian: an ugly honking sound, and then mockingbirds—always the same two culprits—would take turns swooping just inches over my head. I wasn’t sure what I’d done to upset them, but this past weekend, I finally solved the mystery. It turns out that my assailants had built a nest in the ivy over my front porch. This is the best image I could get without getting pecked:
Between these hatchlings and the chickens I recently adopted, I’ve been feeling a little bit plagued by birds lately. So I thought I would use this blog post as an opportunity to share some of my favorite bird-related artwork in the DMA’s collection.
Orpheus Taming Wild Animals, A.D. 194, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of David T. Owsley via the Alconda-Owsley Foundation, and two anonymous donors, in honor of Nancy B. Hamon
detail
Spouted vessel with tubular handle depicting a macaw, c. 200 B.C.-A.D. 100, The Nora and John Wise Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jake L. Hamon, the Eugene McDermott family, Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, and Mr. and Mrs. John D. Murchison
Ibis, 712-332 B.C., Lent by Bill and Jean Booziotis
Figurine, late 19th century, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, The John R. Young Collection, Mrs. John B. O’Hara Fund
Mouth mask depicting the head of a bird, 19th century, Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
Emile Bernard, Bridge at Pont-Aven, 1891, 1891, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Estate of Ina MacNaughton
Joseph Domjan, Bird and Butterfly, 1962, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the artist
Fred Darge, Survival of the Fittest, n.d., Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift
I’m not sure that there’s a figure as ubiquitous in art around the world and across time as that of the bird. The images of birds I’ve selected are only a few of the many that can be found in the museum. What are your favorites?
Tom Jungerberg
IMLS Grant Coordinator
