Studie af to døde solsorte, han og hun, ophængt i snor på en på en krog 1753

Johanna Fosie made this study of two dead blackbirds in watercolor on paper sometime before 1764. The choice of watercolor, rather than oils, gives the image an accessible, almost documentary quality. The artist's technique emphasizes a high level of precision, to capture the texture and color of the birds' plumage. Each feather is carefully delineated, almost as if the artist has applied them one by one. The way they hang limply suggests the weight of lifelessness. It’s worth noting that the image is a study, rather than a finished piece. The artist’s labor is on display, as she meticulously recorded the details of the birds’ physical forms. But the social context is there too: the image is about a certain kind of privilege, the luxury of turning nature into an object of study. This simple image, then, reveals how the close observation of the natural world was becoming a crucial tool for asserting control over it.