The picture depicts a spaniel startling poultry in a farmyard setting. The content and style are in the early manner of the ‘Raphael of bird painters’, Melchior d’Hondecoeter, who specialised in such scenes.¹ However, the somewhat weak handling suggests that this is a work by a follower and possibly the same painter who executed TN35.

Inventories of the house indicate that the painting was displayed in the ‘study’ in 1828, and in 1829, along with TN 35, was located in the ‘Anteroom’ as ‘2 pictures Poultry’, valued at £4. In the inventory of March 1928, when the picture hung in the Study, it was described as ‘Oil painting, Dutch School XVIII Century – farm yard scene, spaniel attacking duckling and other birds, framed white enamel – 32in by 54in’.