Provenance

Mr. John Dimick

American, 1899 - 1983

Explore Selected Works

Two monkeys and five birds are painted in meticulous detail against a mostly pearl-white background on this horizontal composition. A spindly tree trunk grows up each side of the painting, and a few tufts of grass are tucked near the trees and at the bottom center of the composition. A red-furred monkey crouches holding a piece of fruit at the center of the painting, and a second piece of fruit lies nearby. Another, lemur-like monkey clings to a tree growing up the right edge, peering at us. A teal-blue parrot perches on a branch above that second monkey, and a hefty, yellow and green bird perches on another branch over the first. Two long-legged, long-necked birds stand to either side of the seated red monkey, with a dove-gray bird to the left and a tawny brown one with pale green legs to the right. A smaller blue, white, and orange bird stands on the ground near the seated monkey and another, this one blue and red, flies above.
Anonymous Artist, Study of Birds and Monkeys, 1660/1670, oil on copper, Gift of John Dimick, 1983.19.2

Study of Birds and Monkeys

Anonymous Artist · 1660/1670 · oil on copper ·  Accession ID  1983.19.2

A butterfly, moths, and insects alight on or around a twig with green leaves and straw-yellow berries in this horizontal painting. The background is putty gray, and the objects and insects cast pale shadows to our right. The twig angles slightly upward from left to right in the center of the composition. Wide green leaves sprout from its top edge and three clusters of gleaming berries rest along the table closer to us. A butterfly perches on a leaf to the left on the twig, its wings spread and the antennae touching the leaf. The edges of the wings are charcoal grey with tan spots, and closer to its body, the wings are gold, dotted with black. A bug with a narrow brown body and nearly translucent wings sits near the center of the branch, and a moth perches on the broken end of the twig to our right. The moth’s wings are closed above its body. Its body is striped with yellow and black, and the white wings have black dots. Another moth, with its tan wings also closed, sits on a sprig of berries near the lower right corner of the painting. There are two more insects with spindly bodies and thin, narrow wings, one on a stem of branches near the lower left corner, and one on a green leaf near the upper right. More insects rest on the gray surface around the twig and berries. Along the bottom edge of the painting is a caterpillar with a golden yellow body with black spots, and a red face. Clustered near the top left corner, around the butterfly, are a brick-red bug with closed, sheer wings and six legs, a dark green insect also with six legs and yellow bands on its body, and an insect like a yellow jacket. At the top right is an elongated ladybug.
Jan van Kessel the Elder, Study of Butterfly and Insects, c. 1655, oil on copper, Gift of John Dimick, 1983.19.3

Study of Butterfly and Insects

Jan van Kessel the Elder · c. 1655 · oil on copper ·  Accession ID  1983.19.3

Anonymous Artist, Study of Birds and Monkey, 1660/1670, oil on copper, Gift of John Dimick, 1983.19.1

Study of Birds and Monkey

Anonymous Artist · 1660/1670 · oil on copper ·  Accession ID  1983.19.1

Dozens of multicolored birds of various sizes are arranged around a stout tree in this horizontal landscape painting. At least two dozen species of birds perch along the branches and crowd around the base. For example, there are birds with gold bodies, cobalt-blue wings, and hooked beaks in the upper left-hand branches. In the branches to the right a tomato-red bird with long, blue tail feathers is surrounded by small light brown and gray birds. An owl, peacock, ostrich, and turkey painted in muted browns and blues gather with other green, blue, red, and dark gray birds on the left side of the tree to look at an open book resting against the trunk. The bank with the birds is separated from a second grove of trees by the waterway, which splits near the lower right corner of the painting and winds into the distance to both the left and right. The grove across from us has slender green trees with feathery leaves among a bank of tall reeds. In the river in the lower right corner, ducks, swans, and a tall heron stand and float among lily pads. A few birds take flight while one comes in for a landing in the near distance, to our right. The sky above this area is slate blue. Ghostly touches of white along the river to our left suggest tall birds standing in the water. Beyond them, a hazy, peanut-brown field with tall trees marches into the distance under an overcast sky.
Anonymous Artist, Concert of Birds, 1660/1670, oil on copper, Gift of John Dimick, 1983.19.4

Concert of Birds

Anonymous Artist · 1660/1670 · oil on copper ·  Accession ID  1983.19.4