Vermaakt u met deez' vooglen schaar! / Gy ziet 'er hier vier minder maar, / Als honderd stuks, zy zullen allen / ô jeugd! uwe oogen wel bevallen 1806 - 1830

This print by Johan Noman, made without a specified date, presents an array of birds, each neatly contained within a grid, accompanied by descriptive text. Birds, throughout history, have been potent symbols, often representing freedom, the soul, or divine messengers. Consider the dove, a bird that appears across cultures, from ancient Mesopotamian art to Christian iconography as a symbol of peace and the Holy Spirit. In ancient Greece, it was associated with Aphrodite, goddess of love, while in other contexts, birds might represent the flight of the soul or the connection between the earthly and spiritual realms. The human fascination with birds reflects a deep-seated yearning for transcendence, a desire to escape earthly constraints. Perhaps, unconsciously, we recognize in their ability to soar an ideal of freedom and spiritual ascension, a motif that continues to resonate in our collective psyche. Birds engage viewers on a deep, subconscious level, suggesting a desire to rise above the earthly constraints. The depiction of birds here resurfaces, evolving to capture both the scientific observation and the symbolic weight birds have carried across time.