Open Cage - Girl in Landscape

Discussion

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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