Kop van een haan 1816

Curator: Jean Bernard’s "Head of a Rooster," dating back to 1816 and housed right here at the Rijksmuseum, presents an intriguing case study in early 19th-century animal portraiture. Its primary materials consist of drawing media and coloured pencils on paper. Editor: Well, my first impression? He’s got attitude! That knowing glint in his eye… It’s as if he’s silently judging my entire existence. And that dramatically curled comb? Fabulous! Curator: It’s interesting you focus on the "attitude." Bernard, working in this period, was likely concerned with the specific representation of agricultural wealth and prowess. The careful rendering of the rooster’s head becomes a means of conveying ideas of animal husbandry, economic stability, even social status. Think of the patronage system. Editor: Maybe. But look at the way Bernard uses coloured pencil – such immediacy. It isn't a dry, academic study. I see a living being rendered with empathy. The textures, from the smooth feathers to the rough comb, sing. And don’t you think he's captured a sort of cocky…well, cock-iness? Curator: The texture you note is important, though it could be argued that those visual aspects emerge precisely from the social and material constraints in which Bernard operated: What pencils were available, who was commissioning the work, and to what end. These choices affect the "personality" you perceive. Editor: I concede that social pressures shape the means and method of its production. But still, within that framework, there’s an undeniable spark. This isn’t just some anonymous farm animal. He's a character! I bet this rooster crowed louder and earlier than the rest! Curator: Perhaps. Looking again, the controlled precision using accessible materials indeed presents a powerful presence…more than just a utilitarian rendering. Editor: Right? Exactly. Never underestimate a rooster, or the artist who saw more than just a farm animal.