Kop van een roofvogel 1818

Jean Bernard created this study of a bird of prey in the Netherlands with pen and brush in grey, brown and green ink. Bernard was active at a time when scientific illustration was flourishing as part of the Enlightenment project to classify and understand the natural world. We might ask, then, what the status of the image is. Is it an objective record, or is there a subjective element? Consider the way the artist has isolated the head of the bird and given it a central position. Perhaps the work reveals a certain cultural fascination with the hawk as a symbol of power and freedom. Was this drawing made to stand alone, or was it part of a series? Was it ever intended for public display? These are some of the questions that art historians ask, consulting archives and collections to understand the social and institutional context of an image like this one.