This exquisite watercolour study depicts a dunlin (Calidris alpina), a small wading bird of the sandpiper family, rendered with remarkable ornithological precision. The bird is shown in profile standing on a subtle ground with sparse vegetation, its long, slightly curved black bill and characteristic plumage carefully delineated. Withoos has captured the dunlin's distinctive breeding plumage with meticulous attention to detail: the rufous-brown and black patterned upperparts, the spotted buff neck and breast, and the striking black belly patch that characterizes the species during breeding season—a feature unique among waders of similar size. The bird's dark legs and the delicate rendering of individual feathers demonstrate the artist's close observation from life or from preserved specimens.

 

The composition is deliberately simple, focusing attention entirely on the bird against a plain background with minimal landscape elements—a pale wash suggesting ground, a hint of grass tufts, and a subtle horizon line. This approach reflects the scientific illustration tradition that flourished in the Dutch Republic during the 17th century, when natural history collecting and documentation reached unprecedented levels of sophistication. The watercolour medium, applied with precision on laid paper, allows for both fine detail and subtle tonal gradations, particularly evident in the rendering of the bird's varied plumage patterns.

 

Pieter Withoos was born in Amersfoort in 1655 (some sources give 1654). He was the second son of Matthias Withoos, a well-known still life painter who established a dynasty of artist children. His father trained him, as he did four other children—including his daughter Alida Withoos, who became an accomplished painter in her own right. [1] In 1672 the Withoos family moved to Hoorn; afterwards, Pieter seems to have moved to Utrecht, as his daughter was baptized there in 1686. Tragically, Withoos died at an early age in Amsterdam when he was only 38 years old in 1692, cutting short what had been a promising career as both an artist and natural history illustrator.

 

Like his father, Pieter specialized in painting still lifes and studies of plants, insects, animals, and birds. This focus on natural history subjects reflected the broader Dutch fascination with the natural world during the Golden Age, when the Netherlands was a center for botanical and zoological study, collecting, and illustration. The precision and scientific approach evident in Withoos's bird studies aligned with the empirical observation that characterized Dutch science and natural philosophy of the period. The signature 'p:w:fe'in the lower right corner of the present work attests to the work's authenticity and the artist's pride in his craftsmanship. Sheets such as these were produced either as finished watercolours - intended as independent works of art - or as contributions to natural history albums, which were prized possessions among collectors.