Bird's Nest in Cattails

A delicate bird's nest of dried grass sits nestled among slender green blades and two brown cattails rising from the lower center. The stems sweep diagonally toward the upper right against a plain tan ground, with pale, loosely woven straw forming the nest. Painted in watercolor and gouache with fine, fluid strokes, the study concentrates on the quiet structure of the plants.

Look closer: Small pale sprigs of grass curl at the lower left edge, barely visible against the tan ground.

Artist

Fidelia Bridges

Date

ca. 1875

Medium

Watercolor and gouache on light brown wove paper

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

2876 × 4000 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Anonymous Gift, in memory of Harry Rubin, 1989