PROVENANCE
Collection of English physiologist and surgeon who pioneered research into bone, Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, 1st Baronet (1783 - 1862)

New Zealand family by descent since late 19th Century His work as a still life and bird painter was influenced by Melchior d'Hondecoeter, Peter Frans Casteels, and Jakob Bogdani. Sketches in the collection of the British Museum indicate that he based at least some of the birds in his paintings on drawings from life. He tended to paint domestic birds and common wild species, rather than the exotic varieties favoured by some other artists. Buyers of his paintings often incorporated them into schemes of interior decoration, setting them into panelling above doors or fireplaces.

Peacock and Other Birds in a Landscape is in the collection of the Tate Gallery