In the collection of Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia — check current display status with the museum.
FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG
A young woman, possibly a shepherdess, searches the sky for a bird released from a small birdcage. This work alludes to the loss of feminine virtue, a popular subject for Nicolas Lancret and his aristocratic patrons. By not depicting the bird itself, Lancret emphasized the permanence of this loss. The bird cannot be recaptured, and the woman's innocence cannot be recovered. In a clever visual twist, Dr. Barnes installed an iron bird to the upper right of the painting.
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Angelica Kauffmann (Swiss, 1741–1807) — A Dancing Young Woma
Jean Honoré Fragonard|Jacques Couché|Charles François Adrien
Nicolas Lancret (French, 1690–1743) — The Vineyard
anonymous — Portrait of Magdalena van Citters, Wife of Adria
Hieronymus van der Mij — Portrait of Claudine van Royen (bor
Nicolas Lancret (French, 1690–1743) — The See-Saw
Nicolaas Verkolje — De vogelaars
Daniel Chodowiecki (German, 1726–1801) — Susanne (The Artist
René Gaillard|François Boucher — Venus et les Amours (Venus