Alexander Max Koester (German, 1864–1932)
Moulting Ducks
Date:
ca. 1900
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Object Dimensions:
28 3/8 x 51 3/8 in. (72.07 x 130.49 cm)
Credit Line:
Founding Collection, Gift of Charles and Emma Frye, 1952.087
Photo Credit:
Spike Mafford
Verbal Description:
This realistic painting is filled with a flock of about a dozen mostly white ducks resting on the ground. The ducks are in a dense formation and the composition is tightly cropped with just a smattering of deep green, heart-shaped leaves at the upper left side and a mossy green body of water on the right side of the composition. The clay ground is littered with golden leaves and soft white feathers. The ducks in the foreground seem at peace, or perhaps busy pruning themselves, as their beaks are tucked away under their wings. The duck furthest on the left gives the effect of sound as their beak is open, perhaps quacking at something outside of the picture. This agitated duck, along with three or four ducks at the top of the grouping have dark plum-colored markings on their heads and backs.
Collection List
This object is a member of the following collections:
