Painting

The watercolour depicts a chaffinch on a branch protecting an egg-filled nest from a mouse. It is almost identical to the mosaic painting by Giacomo Raefflli (1753-1836) and a later copy at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersbury. Attributed to a Chinese artist at the time of acquisition in 1886, the watercolour probably should be re-attributed to a European painter. Further investigation is underway.