A Peacock and Other Birds in a Landscape
- Artist: Marmaduke Cradock
- Date: c.1700
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 761 x 632 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “A Peacock and Other Birds in a Landscape” by Marmaduke Cradock, painted around 1700 in oil on canvas. The scene is a calm dovecote set in a pastoral landscape, but the peace is interrupted by a sly predator—a fox or a small mammal—stealing into the cote. On the fallen column stands a majestic peacock, its iridescent plumage drawing the eye and hinting at wealth and the exotic views of London’s royal parks. Nearby, a rock dove soars, a jay perches on a branch, and turkeys ruffle in the underbrush, all rendered with remarkable accuracy that suggests Cradock painted from life or at least from detailed studies.
Cradock was one of the few British-born bird painters of the late 17th century, and his work shows a keen naturalist eye. He liked to show familiar farmyard birds in their own settings, but he also added the dramatic touch of a predator, a motif he shared with contemporaries like Francis Barlow. The composition feels almost allegorical: the predator’s intrusion reminds viewers that harmony can be fleeting.
The painting was likely intended for interior decoration—perhaps above a door or a chimney—yet it still commands attention today with its lively birds and subtle moral tension.
See it in person
A Peacock and Other Birds in a Landscape is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
