Kalkoen 1660 - 1662

Dirck de Bray created this small etching of a turkey sometime in the second half of the 17th century. The composition, defined by stark lines and minimal shading, presents a scene teeming with life. De Bray masterfully uses line to differentiate textures, from the rough wooden planks to the soft plumage of the turkey and doves. The foreground, occupied by the large turkey, contrasts with the background architecture, creating a dialogue between nature and artifice. The turkey, boldly rendered, dominates the space, almost mocking the formal gardens and buildings behind it. This juxtaposition invites us to consider the relationship between the domestic and the wild, challenging conventional hierarchies of the era. The overt linearity of the design accentuates the constructed nature of the image, emphasizing not only the visual form, but the deeper structures that inform our understanding of nature, domesticity and artistic representation.