Blaukehlchen, auf einem Kiefernzweig sitzend, nach links 

Ambrosius Gabler made this watercolor of a bluethroat sitting on a pine branch. This lifelike rendering of the bird seems straightforward, but it’s worth asking about its social and institutional context. This image was made in the late 18th or early 19th century, a time of increasing scientific study of the natural world. The bird’s clear outline, and the accurate rendering of its plumage, suggests an attempt to record nature objectively. But what exactly do we mean by ‘objective’ in a work like this? Looking at the image, we can see that the bird sits still on the branch, as if posing for a portrait. The portrayal of nature here is mediated by the artist’s hand and eye. It’s an image that reflects not just the bird itself, but also the artist’s own cultural values and assumptions about the natural world. We can research how scientific illustration developed, the different ways animals have been depicted in art, and the ways artists have engaged with the natural world.