Hoopoe on a Citrus Tree Branchc. 1800 · Study 1990.67

Context from the museum

Indian artists of the late 1700s and early 1800s painted images of native birds, plants, and animals for British collectors who mainly lived in the fortified enclave of Calcutta (now Kolkata), which then functioned as the center of British power in India. During this period, known as the Age of Enlightenment, natural history subjects were a fashion in art throughout the colonial British world, in response to the pervasive interest in scientific discovery. This small crested bird is named after the sound of its call, “hoopoe,” an onomatopoeia. The dense, regular, and controlled brushwork that lends realistic texture to the plumage and claws reveals the artist’s training in Indian court traditions.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

This small crested bird is named after the sound of its call, “hoopoe,” an onomatopoeia.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected overall measurement for Hoopoe on a Citrus Tree Branch is 27.8 cm wide and 42.5 cm high, equivalent to approximately 10.9 × 16.7 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.65:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.12 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 9.3% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 136.1 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Hoopoe on a Citrus Tree Branch in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, color on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 27.8 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?