"Do Not Have Swallows under the Same Roof" [fol. 40 recto]

French early 16th Century

National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of birds and insects near a building. The scene depicts swallows flying around an architectural frame decorated with vines, surrounded by large flies. At the bottom of the structure, there are storks interacting with a figure holding a tray of fish. The birds and insects are dynamic in their movement, contrasting with the geometric stability of the architecture. The use of muted earth tones and precise lines suggests this is a manuscript illustration from an earlier period.