Red-billed Toucan

1748

The Dordrecht artist Aert Schouman was no scientist, but he was deeply interested in true-to-life depictions of the bird realm. His keen powers of observation are demonstrated by the way in which this red-billed toucan grasps the branch, namely with two, rather than three toes like other species. The landscape airily painted in transparent shades of green and blue evokes the bird’s native regions in Guyana and North Brazil.