signed and inscribed ‘Richd Earlom Sculpsit. […] (in the plate)
mezzotint
41.8 x 57.8 cm (plate); 42.6 x 58.6 cm (sheet)
Wessely 139, second and final state [1]
A very fine impression, printing with plenty of relief, small margins, there are some slight brown stains in the corners due to an old glue on the verso, there is a small thin spot in the centre, the sheet is in very good, untreated condition

Allegorical paintings with birds singing were already made in Middle Ages, but it was through the paintings by Frans Snyders (1579-1657), produced from the 1620s onwards, that the subject reached the height of its popularity. The theme continued to be popular throughout the 18th century, as is demonstrated by Richard Earlom’s tour de force mezzotint after the painting by Snyders. [2] At the time Earlom made this particularly large and complex mezzotint it was part of the collection of Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745) at Houghton Hall and subsequently it entered the collection of the State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg in 1779. [3]

The composition shows an owl acting as conductor, presiding over a chorus of birds – and even a bat – singing under its direction. The meaning of bird concerts evolved over the centuries, shifting from political satire to allegories of love. Snyders’ painting, however, engages with the humanist debate between those who maintained that nature surpasses art and those who argued the contrary. By his treatment of the theme, Snyders aligns himself with the latter view: without the guiding presence of the owl, the assembly of birds (symbolising nature) would be incapable of producing harmonious song. In other words, it is only through human intervention that untamed nature may be transformed into something truly beautiful.

[1] J.E. Wessely, 'Kritische Verzeichnisse von Werken hervorragender Kupferstecher. Zweiter Band: Richard Earlom', Hamburg, 1886, p. 55.
[2] At the time Richard Earlom executed this print, the painting it reproduced was thought to be by Mario di Fiori, called Nuzzi.
[3] See S. Koslow, Frans Snyders. Stilleven- en Dierschilders. 1579-1657, Antwerp, 1995, p. 296; inv. R A 205, I.