The Wars of William III by Hondecoeter
March 31, 2020 | Holkhome | 3 minute read
Holkham Hall is filled with the treasures that Thomas Coke collected on his Grand Tour in the early 1700s. But, being an avid collector, Coke continued to add to his treasures and purchased these two paintings from the collection of Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first Prime Minister who lived at nearby Houghton Hall, at a sale in 1748. They were part of Coke’s original picture hanging scheme in the South Drawing Room, where they remain to this day.
The Dutch artist Melchior de Hondecoeter (c.1636-1695) was a notable ‘bird painter’ of the 17th century, well-known for painting exotic or game birds in park-like settings. These paintings differ from his usual style in that they are more animated and confrontational and full of symbolism.
Once you know that the paintings depict the wars of William III against Louis XIV with each country involved being represented by a different bird, you can start to work it out.
The Cockatrice represented France
The Goose symbolised England
Here the Holy Roman Empire (Brown Eagle) can be seen attacking the Ottoman Empire (the Serpent)
A Heron depicted The Netherlands
And the Spanish Empire was represented by a Griffin
Holkham Hall’s collections coordinator, Katherine Hardwick, loves these paintings – they are her favourites in the whole hall. Take a closer look at the second picture, at the large bird plumed with red, white and blue in the centre of the painting. Katherine has never been able to work out what this bird represents – do you have any ideas?
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