Smaller Parrot at Home, 2008

Hong Kong 2015
Smaller Parrot at Home

Galerie Thomas

Sculpture
Bronze, painted with oil and enamel
91.2 x 38.1 x 33.0 （厘米）
35.9 x 15.0 x 13.0 （吋）
Under the base with signature, dated and numbered. Edition of 8 + 3 AP. The parrot is a valuable bird and to own one has always been a luxury. With its colourful feathers it was a symbol for vanity. It "parrots" the human voice, but it doesn’t know what it is saying. As it was said that its feathers did not get wet in the rain, in Christian symbolism it stands for the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary and is thus often depicted in paintings of the Madonna. Furthermore, the natural cry of the parrot was interpreted as "Ave". But the parrot also divulges secrets: “Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.” (Ecclesiastes 10:20)