Folio recto: Blank; verso: Two Birds in Flight c. 18th century

Editor: This is "Two Birds in Flight" by Jean-Baptiste Oudry. It's a delicate watercolor drawing. The birds seem to be captured mid-motion. How do you read the symbolism in this work, especially considering Oudry's time? Curator: Oudry, as a painter of the Royal Hunt, occupied a space that both celebrated and was complicit in aristocratic power structures. The birds here, seemingly free, are nonetheless specimens, studies. Does their freedom exist only within the confines of the artist's—and by extension, the patron’s—gaze? Editor: That's a sobering thought. So, it's not just a simple celebration of nature? Curator: Not at all. Consider the historical context: The Enlightenment was dawning, yet these visual languages of power and control persisted. The piece makes me question how we frame "nature" itself. Editor: I hadn't considered that. It definitely gives a new layer to the drawing. Thanks!