Schapen 1648 - 1691

Albert Flamen made this print of a pheasant with etching sometime in the 17th century. It's part of a series of prints depicting animals, likely intended as illustrations for scientific or natural history texts. Flamen worked in France during a time when the scientific method was still developing. The depiction of animals was often tied to philosophical and moral meanings. In this context, we might read the image of the pheasant as representing a particular aspect of the natural world, perhaps an allegory for the balance of nature. As an art historian, I'm interested in understanding the knowledge networks that shaped the production and consumption of images like this one. We can research the patronage system that enabled artists such as Flamen to thrive. We can study the role of institutions such as the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in shaping artistic tastes and standards. The meaning of art objects is always contingent on the social and institutional contexts in which they were created and viewed.