Born 1960 in Larchmont, NY
Lives and works in New York City
Plaque: Two Birds on a Thorny Bough, 1879 (cloisonne & painted enamel mounted in gilt
500049 Plaque: Two Birds on a Thorny Bough, 1879 (cloisonne& painted enamel mounted in gilt metal frame)
by Thesmar, Fernand (1843-1912); 50.65×50.65 d:28.9 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art, OH, USA; (add.info.: Inscription: on front of the plaque, monogrammed and dated 1879.
); Gift of Mrs. Arthur F. Connard in memory of Jacob B. Perkins and Family; French, out of copyright
© Gift of Mrs. Arthur F. Connard in memory of Jacob B. Perkins and Family / Bridgeman Images
Media ID 22911460
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This print showcases the exquisite beauty of “Plaque: Two Birds on a Thorny Bough” created in 1879 by Fernand Thesmar. The artwork, made with cloisonné and painted enamel mounted in a gilt metal frame, measures 50. 65×50. 65 cm with a depth of 28. 9 cm. The plaque depicts two birds perched delicately on a thorny bough, capturing their graceful presence amidst an autumnal backdrop. The intricate floral pattern adds to the ornate and decorative nature of the piece, while the golden gilt frame enhances its overall elegance. A notable feature is the monogrammed inscription on the front of the plaque, dating it back to 1879 and adding historical significance to this remarkable work of art. Currently housed at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio, USA, this masterpiece was generously gifted by Mrs. Arthur F. Connard in memory of Jacob B. Perkins and Family. Thesmar’s creation seamlessly combines elements from both Oriental and French artistic traditions, resulting in a harmonious blend that captivates viewers even today. This print allows us to appreciate every intricate detail up close while celebrating Thesmar’s talent as an artist. With its enchanting depiction of birds amidst thorns and leaves during autumn, this plaque serves as a timeless reminder of nature’s beauty and resilience throughout different seasons – truly deserving its place among treasured works within art history.
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A watercolour of a swallow-tail kite (Elanoides forficatus (Linnaeus)). The bird is shown facing to right, perched on a bough. Inscribed in ink: (top centre) ‘Swallowtail Hawk. Accipiter Minor caude forcipater’; (top right) ‘4’.
Mark Catesby was born in Suffolk and was interested in natural history from an early age. In 1712, he travelled to the east coast of America with his sister Elizabeth, who had married a doctor who practised in Williamsburg, Virginia. Catesby spent seven years in Virginia collecting specimens and seeds for London buyers before returning to Britain. In London his drawings of birds and plants met with praise and a group of benefactors paid for his travel to Carolina in 1722. There, he made numerous drawings of the flora and fauna, working hard to ensure that his depictions were as helpful for an understanding of their subjects as possible. On his return to Britain, his drawings were reproduced in The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, which appeared in a series of volumes between 1729 and 1747. The first volume was dedicated to Queen Caroline, the second to Augusta, Princess of Wales. The original drawings from the volumes, which had been in the possession of Catesby’s widow until her death, were purchased by George III from the London bookseller Thomas Cadell in 1768.
This watercolour was used as the basis for plate 4 in the first volume of the Natural History (‘Swallow-Tail Hawk’). Of the birds, Catesby wrote ‘Like Swallows, they continue long on the wing, catching, as they fly, Beetles, Flies and other Insects, from trees and bushes. They are said to prey upon Lizards and other Serpents; which has given them (by some) the name of Snake-Hawk. I believe they are Birds of passage, not having seen any of them in winter’. For identification of the species depicted see James L. Reveal, ‘Identification of the plants and animals illustrated by Mark Catesby for his Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands’ in Phytoneuron 2013 and revised online version.
Provenance
Thomas Cadell; from whom bought by George III, 1768
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Walton Ford, La Historia Me Absolverá, 1999, color etching, aquatint, spit bite, and drypoint on paper, 44 x 30 in., Courtesy of the artist and Paul Kasmin Gallery, Image courtesy of the artist and Paul Kasmin Gallery La Historia Me Absolverá features the now-extinct Cuban red macaw as a personification of Communist leader Fidel Castro. The title, which translates as “History will absolve me,” references the closing lines of a speech delivered by Castro before being jailed in 1953 for the attack on an army barracks. Castro’s subsequent release and rise to power led to numerous attempts on his life. Ford represents these threats as flies and snares surrounding the defiant macaw. He portrays the bird as a dying breed—like Castro himself—gripping tightly to a broken tree branch that might symbolize Cuba’s beleaguered state or Castro’s legacy.
Walton Ford, Eothen, 2001, watercolor, gouache, and pencil and ink on paper, 40 x 60 in., The Cartin Collection, Image courtesy of the artist and Paul Kasmin Gallery Made in the wake of 9/11, Eothen is one of Ford’s most brooding and enigmatic paintings. The title is a Greek word meaning “from the east” and also a reference to a nineteenth-century travel account of the Ottoman Empire. According to the artist, the besieged peacock represents the conflicts waged on Middle Eastern soil over the centuries. The bird’s smoldering train might also reference the ancient belief that peacocks were immortal. It is unclear if Ford’s bird is rising from the ashes or being devoured by them. In either case, it is a powerful commentary on death, resurrection, and geopolitics.
Walton Ford, Compromised, 2002, color etching, aquatint, spit bite, and drypoint on paper, 44 x 30 in., Courtesy of the artist and Paul Kasmin Gallery, Image courtesy of the artist and Paul Kasmin Gallery
Walton Ford, Falling Bough, 2002, watercolor, gouache, and pencil and ink on paper, 60 1/2 x 119 1/2 in., Private Collection, Image courtesy of the artist and Paul Kasmin Gallery In Falling Bough, Ford depicts one of the great migratory events of the nineteenth century as a nightmarish scene of overpopulation and self-destruction. A branch laden with passenger pigeons is momentarily lifted skyward as it splinters beneath the weight of the snaking mass. Scenes like this were well documented by hunters and naturalists alike. John James Audubon witnessed the astonishing sight while traveling through Kentucky. He wrote, “The pigeons, arriving by thousands, alighted everywhere, one above another, until solid masses were formed on the branches all round. Here and there the perches gave way under the weight with a crash, and, falling to the ground, destroyed hundreds of the birds beneath.”
Walton Ford, Madagascar, 2002, watercolor, gouache, and pencil and ink on paper, 120 x 60 in., Private Collection, Image courtesy of the artist and Paul Kasmin Gallery The Great Elephant Bird, Aepyornis maximus, lived on the island of Madagascar until its extinction in the late eighteenth century. There are no accounts of what the bird actually looked like, but skeletal remains suggest it was ten feet tall and may have weighed nearly half a ton. Like many island species, the elephant bird had few predators until settlers arrived on Madagascar and began hunting it and pilfering its enormous eggs. In Ford’s image, the perpetrators appear to be pirates. The hobbled bird lets out a squawk as a chick calmly watches the assault. In the background, scenes of piracy and exploitation allude to man’s lasting impact on the fragile island ecosystem.
Walton Ford, Visitation, 2004, color etching, aquatint, spit bite, and drypoint on paper, 44 x 31 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2010.3 In Visitation, a large flock of passenger pigeons gorge themselves in a field strewn with fruit and nuts. Ford’s scene recalls a written description by Audubon, “Whilst feeding, their avidity is at times so great that in attempting to swallow a large acorn or nut, they are seen gasping for a long while as if in the agonies of suffocation.” The birds’ ravenous feasting on the bounty of the land could symbolize the profligate exploitation of natural resources perpetrated by European settlers in the New World, which ultimately led to the extinction of the passenger pigeon. Ford also notes that the image alludes to the human tendency of blaming victims for their own destruction.
