The Goldfinch
1654
Carel Fabritius, Rembrandt’s most talented pupil, created this tiny masterpiece just months before a tragic gunpowder explosion claimed his life in 1654. The little European goldfinch is tethered by a delicate chain to a blue wooden feeder, rendered with such stunning realism that it practically begs you to reach out and touch it. This brilliant example of Baroque trompe-l'œil fooled viewers for centuries into thinking the bird was real, and it even inspired Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name.
- Technique
- Oil on panel
- Material
- Wood panel
Location: Mauritshuis, The Hague
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