Jane Ogden

The turquoise eggs of the chaffinch, a bird commonly found across Britain and Ireland, rest in a nest on the ground, surrounded by meticulously described plants and flowers. Employing both transparent and opaque watercolors, Jane Ogden composed this balanced still-life, probably combining direct observation of specimens with selective borrowing from other works. Closely cropped still-lifes featuring bird’s nests were popularized in the 19th century by William Henry Hunt, who employed the stippling technique that Ogden also adopts here. At the age of 21, Ogden submitted this ambitious work to a national competition held in South Kensington, winning a bronze medal.