Artwork preview

Red-breasted Merganser

Robert Havell after John James Audubon

National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of two ducks, one flying and one swimming, and aquatic plants. The scene captures detailed illustrations of two ducks, with one duck gliding through the sky and the other duck swimming across a calm body of water. Both ducks exhibit vibrant, intricately detailed feathers. To the left of the image, there are tall aquatic plants with long leaves and yellow flowers. The water has soft ripples and the sky is a gentle gradient of blue.

Artwork Details

Date
1838
Medium
hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper
Dimensions
5410 × 3601 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
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