Article ID: CBB001201349

Rubens and the Bird of Paradise. Painting Natural Knowledge in the Early Seventeenth Century (2014)

unapi

Keywords: bird of paradise;natural history;Peter Paul Rubens This paper explores the interconnections between early modern natural history and European visual culture by focusing on the representation of a single motif, the bird of paradise, in one of Peter Paul Rubens's most celebrated paintings: the Adoration of the Magi (1609; 1628--29), now in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid. Portrayed as an aigrette in the Black Magus's headwear, the bird of paradise is interpreted as a symbol of exoticism and geographical diversity, in a painting of unmistakable Counter-Reformist facture, produced in a context of tense religious and political disputes and conflicting commercial interests. By considering the representation of this motif in the Prado Adoration as well as in other works by Rubens and his contemporaries, this paper studies the contribution of artists and paintings to the dissemination of natural knowledge, and examines early modern visual culture as part of a wider context shaped by religiosity, political interests, the cult of the exotic and global trade.

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001201349/

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Authors & Contributors
Camilla Pietrabassa
Michela di Macco
Giulia Daniele
Elisa Spataro
Valledor de Lozoya, Arturo
Smith, Paul J.
Concepts
Science and art
Painters and painting
Visual representation; visual communication
Natural history
Nature
Scientific illustration
Time Periods
17th century
18th century
Renaissance
16th century
19th century
15th century
Places
Netherlands
Australia
Great Britain
Florence (Italy)
East Indies
Paris (France)
Institutions
McGill University (Canada)
Arcadia
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