Section I l.—Pu>tmal Evidence»—.Picture m the British Museum—Baland Savory's picture at the Hague ;
his picture at BerJm; his picture at Tiama—John Savery’s picture at Oxford.
The next series of evidences to be adduced are those derived from contemporary paintings.
We have seen that the narratives of the early voyagers are in several instances accompanied
by rude delineations of Dodos, but besides these we possess certain oil paintings of this bird
by artists of great merit, who apparently aimed only at correctly representing the object before
them. All these pictures, except one, closely resemble each other, and though exhibiting
slight variations, they seem to have been taken from one original design. They moreover
agree sufficiently well with the engravings in the early voyages, to leave no doubt of then-
being intended for the same species of bird. Eve of these paintings are now known to exist •
one of these is anonymous, three bear the name of Roland Savery, an eminent Dutch animal
painter m the beginning of the 17th century, and one is by John Savery, the nephew of Roland.
1. The first of these paintings, and the best known, is that from which the figure of the
Dodo in all modern books of natural history has been copied. This picture was once the
property of the artist, George Edwards, who in his work on Birds, vol. vi, pi. 294, tells us
“ The original picture was drawn in Holland from the living bird, brought from St. Maurice’s
Island in the East Indies, in the early times of the discovery of the Indies by the way of the
Cape of Good Hope. I t was the property of the late Sir H. Sloane to the time of his death,
and afterwards becoming my property I deposited it in the British Museum as a great curiosity.
The above history of the picture I had from Sir H. Sloane and the late Hr. Mortimer,
secretary to the Royal Society.” This picture is still preserved in the British Museum, and
may be seen in the Bird Gallery along with the Bodo’s foot, to be hereafter described. It represents
the Hodo surrounded by American Maccaws, Hucks, and other birds, depicted with great
exactness and attention to details. Judging from the animated and natural expression which
the artist has introduced, I am quite disposed to believe the assertion of Edwards, that it was
painted from life. Unfortunately there is neither name nor date upon the picture ; but from
the style of execution, and the identity of the design with the pictures next to be noticed, it
may be attributed to one of the two Saverys. As the other birds in this picture are the size
of life, the Hodo is probably represented of its true magnitude, although it must have been a
rather larger specimen than either of those whose skulls are now extant.
The engraving on the opposite page was made under Mr. Broderip’s superintendance,
to illustrate his treatise in the Penny Cyclopaedia, and as it is an accurately reduced copy of
the painting in question, I have obtained the permission of Messrs. Clowes to introduce
it here.
2. In the Royal Collection at the Hague is a painting by Roland Savery, which is pronounced
by Houbracken (Groote Schouburgh der Nedérlantsche Konstschilders en Schilder-
essen, Hague, 1753, vol. i. p. 58,) to be one of that master’s chef d’oeuvres.^ I t represents
Orpheus charming the animal creation with his music, and among innumerable birds and
beasts, which are depicted with the utmost accuracy, we see the clumsy Hodo spell-bound by
the strains of the Lyric Bard. All the other animals in this composition are exact and almost
mechanical copies of nature, without the smallest indication of pictorial licence ; we cannot
therefore suppose that the artist would have marred the consistency of his design by introducing
a fabulous or even an exaggerated representation. The Hodo, like all the other figures,
must have been copied from careful sketches made either by the artist himself or by persons
in whom he could confide. Such were my own impressions on examining this painting in
1845, and Professor Owen, who was the first to call the attention of -Naturalists to it, expresses
a similar opinion.
“ Whilst at the Hague/’ he says, “ in the summer of 1838,1 was much struck with the minuteness
and accuracy with which the exotic species of animals had been painted by Savery and Breughel, in
such subjects as Orpheus charming the beasts, &c., in which scope was allowed for grouping together
a great variety of animals. Understanding that the celebrated menagerie of Prince Maurice had afforded
the living models to these artists, I sat down one day before Savery’s Orpheus and the Beasts, to make a
Dr. Hamel, in his recently published work entitled ‘Tradescant der Aeltere/ p. 170, states that this picture
was painted in 1638, but he has probably no other authority than the conjecture that the bird shewn that year in
London served as Savery’s model.