Owls are fascinating and hard to see when bird watching. I love it when we find one. Their eyes are very strange and a bit frightening. Owls must have always seemed strange to people, as illustrated by the large number of symbolic meanings and legends that have been attached to them in many cultures. Here are four ways of looking at an owl, depicted in paintings from the Dutch Golden Age of painting.
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| "Malle Babba" by Frans Hals, 1633 (Wikipedia) This owl may illustrate the Dutch proverb "Drunk as an Owl." |
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| "The Wise Owl" by Cornelis Bloemaert, 1603-1684. (Source: Museum of Fine Arts Boston) The owl symbolizing wisdom appears in many cultures. |
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| "A Eurasian eagle-owl with other birds in a landscape," Dirk Valkenburg, 1675–1721 (ARTVEE) A realistic depiction of birds by a minor wildlife painter. |
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| Rembrandt van Rijn, “The Flute Player,” 1642. (Christies) The owl on the flute player’s shoulder suggests the proverb “To play Eulenspiegel’s flute.” That was a reference to the trickster Til Eulenspiegel, whose name means owl. The flute player in this painting is playing a trick: looking up the skirt of the shepherdess. |
17 comments:
Love the art work and the owls. It is always a treat to find an owl in the wild. Take care, enjoy your day!
These are stunning pieces. Thank you for sharing. Have a lovely day.
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I sometimes hear them but never see them. One of my sons used to collect owl figurines; I wish I had thought of an owl print as a gift back in the day. It would've made a nice addition.
I like all of these -- wonderful representation of owls. Only once have I seen one in person. I'd love to see more.
I love owls, and you're right about them not being easy to spot when bird watching. Have a great end of the week Mae.
I want to put an owl box up as I can hear an owl some nights. You have taken some exceptional photos over the years.
I have seen owls all my life. We have 1 that lives in our yard now. We see him almost every night sitting on the fence. Love the post.
Nice depiction of owls in those paintings. In a couple of lakes in Bangalore, there are permanent resident Spotted owlets. I photograph them on off days when I don't get any other good sightings.
Hello,
I love owls, the art work is beautiful. I am hoping to see a Barn Owl in the wild someday. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
There have been more myths, legends and downright dread over owls than any other family of birds, of that I am quite sure. It's no doubt due to the fact that they are primarily creatures of the night and their ability to swivel their head to look directly over their shoulders. Owls are probably my favourite birds to find, precisely because they are nocturnal and always difficult to locate, even during the day when they are roosting.
Interesting and fun.
Happy weekend!
I've heard a lot of legends but I LOVE seeing an owl in the wild. The owl on his shoulder is beautiful...but all of these paintings are amazing!
I have yet to ever see an owl in the wild, despite that many live in our area. In fact, neighbors have seen owls near an old barn at a nearby farm, but in thirty years of looking I have not even caught a glimpse.
It's interesting to think about Owls depicted in art. Sometimes they seem wise & virtuous and other times they seem dark & foreboding. But I always think it's good luck to see an Owl in the wild. It's often rare to see them -- so when it happens -- it's a total delight.
I've heard owls many, many times but haven't yet seen one in real life. I do have a plastic owl on my garden to scare birds, but they don't seem to acknowledge his presence. - Margy
In the modern-day owls have found their way into pieces of home decor and they're really cute!
You're right -- owls are kind of frightening and beautiful, too.
I think they're beautiful. The paintings, but also owls in real life. By the way: I am very Dutch, but I have never heard the saying 'as drunk as an owl'
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