Allerlei soorten vogels c. 1560 - 1620

This etching showing a variety of birds was made by Giacomo Franco in Venice sometime around 1600. The image is simple, but its themes connect to wider trends in the natural sciences in the late Renaissance. Visual codes play an important role in our reading of this image. The isolated presentation of the birds and the inclusion of the bee suggest the artist had scientific, rather than purely aesthetic, intentions. Venice was a prosperous center of trade and a hub for the printing industry. The book trade created new opportunities for artists to publish images like this that could be sold to a growing market of collectors and researchers. The study of natural history became a popular scientific pursuit. The image is also linked to the history of ornithology and the rise of scientific illustration. To understand the image fully, researchers might explore early printed books, scientific treatises, and the social history of collecting to understand the cultural forces that shaped its production and reception.