The Threatened Swan
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- height 144 cm x width 171 cm
- Holding institution
- Rijksmuseum
- Image provider
- rijksmuseum
- License
- Public Domain
- Credit
- Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Art Genome Taxonomy
11 tags
Subject Matter
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Animals Visual · 99%
A large white swan dominates the composition, with several smaller bird forms visible in the surrounding environment.
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Animal Portrait Visual · 87%
The composition concentrates attention on a single prominently depicted animal, shown in close view with carefully rendered plumage and a distinct expressive pose.
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Implied Narrative Both · 93%
The title identifies the swan as threatened, while its raised wings, open beak, and defensive stance visually establish an implied confrontation without showing a clearly identifiable assailant.
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Movement Visual · 96%
The raised wings, extended feathers, open beak, and wide stance create a pronounced impression of agitation and defensive motion.
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Landscapes Visual · 90%
The swan is situated in an outdoor marsh-like setting with water, shoreline vegetation, reeds, and distant sky.
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Water Visual · 92%
Water is visible across the lower foreground and behind the swan, integrating the bird with the wetland setting.
Visual Qualities
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Dark Colors Visual · 91%
The surrounding scene is dominated by deep greens, browns, blue-grays, and shadowed vegetation, producing a predominantly dark tonal environment around the luminous swan.
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Asymmetrical Visual · 95%
The swan’s wings extend unevenly across the frame, with the main body concentrated to the right and the left wing projecting broadly across the composition.
Medium and Techniques
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Painting Both · 99%
The canonical metadata classifies the work as a painting, and the image visibly shows a painted composition on canvas.
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Oil Painting Metadata · 99%
The canonical metadata identifies the medium as oil on canvas.
Time Periods
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17th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The work is dated circa 1650, placing it in the seventeenth century.
Source & rights
Jan Asselijn. The Threatened Swan. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.