Reiger met kikker in de bek after 1659

This small, anonymous etching shows a heron with a frog in its beak. The image is striking, but without a date or artist, how do we make sense of it? Well, the very fact that this is an etching gives us a clue. Etchings like this were common in the Netherlands during the 17th century. This was a time of great scientific discovery, but also of deeply held religious beliefs. Notice the heron in flight above the one on land, and the detailed rendering of nature overall. These emphasize the role of observation in building knowledge. But the heron also evokes Biblical imagery such as Noah's Ark, as well as classical fables about the animal kingdom. Is this a political image? Perhaps not directly. But the heron, a predator, is a clear reference to the social hierarchy. Images like these invite us to think about the relationship between humans and animals, but also, subtly, about the social order. To understand its meaning fully, we need to research the popular imagery and natural histories of the time.