Hoopoe on a Citrus Tree Branch, c. 1800. India

A hoopoe on a citrus branch, painted in Calcutta around 1800. A hoopoe perches on a slender citrus branch, its pinkish crest folded back, its wings and tail barred in black and white. Around it, round green leaves and small fruits, one ripe and yellow, others still green, stand out against a pale ground.

The hoopoe takes its name from its call, a soft, repeated “hoop-hoop”. Common across India, Europe and Africa, it is easy to recognise by its crest, which it raises like a fan when excited, and by its long curved bill, perfect for probing the ground for insects.

Why it works on your wall

• Fresh and luminous: a light, cheerful image for a kitchen, a dining room or a bedroom
• Botanical and animal: a bird study and a plant study in one, with the precision of Indian miniature painting
• Framing tip: a natural wood or white frame keeps its freshness; pair it with other bird or fruit prints

Company painting

This painting belongs to the “Company school”: works made by Indian artists for British patrons of the East India Company, who lived mostly in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Trained in the traditions of the Indian courts, these painters recorded local birds, plants and animals with great precision, at a time when natural history was all the rage. The original is in the Cleveland Museum of Art.

• Artist: Indian painter, Company school
• Place: Calcutta, India
• Date: c. 1800
• Technique: colour on paper
• Original: Cleveland Museum of Art

Your print

• Colours restored from a high-definition scan of the original
• Printed in Europe on thick archival matte paper, FSC certified
• From A4 to A0, plus 40×60, 50×70, 60×90 and 70×100 cm and 12×18 to 27×40 inch sizes, all made for standard frames
• Free shipping, no minimum order. Shipped rolled in a sturdy tube

Pair it with John Collet’s Red-Plumed Bird-of-Paradise, or explore our kitchen wall art and vintage animal prints.