Philippe Rousseau

Paris, Salon, 1857, nos 2334 and 2335.

These paintings were exhibited at the Salon of 1857, during which Rousseau presented ten works: a greater number than ever before. They were singled out by several critics, such as Edmond About (1828–1885), who wrote: 'Animals are, for Mr. Rousseau, knowledgeable little beings; each of his compositions resembles an outdoor theatre framing animals performing plays for us'.¹ The light, lively touch used to construct the multicolored plumage of the birds; the acuity in his realistic description of the animals; and other elements in the still lifes, such as the gentle light that suffuses the scenes, and the sense – tinged with humour – of anecdote at work in these paintings, are all typical of the artist.

¹ 'Les animaux sont pour M. Rousseau de petits personnages savants; chacun de ses cadres ressemble à un théâtre forain où les bêtes nous donnent la comédie.' E. About, Nos artistes au Salon de 1857, Paris 1858, pp. 351–52.