The Threatened Swan
A swan fiercely defends its nest against a dog. In later centuries this scuffle was interpreted as a political allegory: the white swan was thought to symbolize the Dutch statesman Johan de Witt (assassinated in 1672) protecting the country from its enemies. This was the meaning attached to the painting when it became the very first acquisition to enter the Nationale Kunstgalerij (the forerunner of the Rijksmuseum) in 1880.
P16_used_specific_object
aggregatedCHO
isShownAt
The Threatened Swan
A swan fiercely defends its nest against a dog. In later centuries this scuffle was interpreted as a political allegory: the white swan was thought to symbolize the Dutch statesman Johan de Witt (assassinated in 1672) protecting the country from its enemies. This was the meaning attached to the painting when it became the very first acquisition to enter the Nationale Kunstgalerij (the forerunner of the Rijksmuseum) in 1880.
creator
description
A swan fiercely defends its ne ...... r of the Rijksmuseum) in 1880.
@en
Energiek verdedigt een zwaan h ...... van het Rijksmuseum) terecht.
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format
identifier
language
publisher
Rijksmuseum
subject
title
De bedreigde zwaan
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The Threatened Swan
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type
created
c. 1650
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ca. 1650
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extent
doekmaat breedte 171 cm
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doekmaat hoogte 144 cm
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height 144 cm
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width 171 cm
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isPartOf
Collectie: schilderijen
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Collection: paintings
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temporal
derde kwart 17e eeuw
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second quarter 17th century
@en
third quarter 17th century
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tweede kwart 17e eeuw
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