Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn - c. 1650 - 144 × 171 cm Rijksmuseum Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn - c. 1650 - 144 × 171 cm Rijksmuseum

Threatened Swan

oil on canvas • 144 × 171 cm
  • Jan Asselijn - c.1610 - October 1, 1652 Jan Asselijn c. 1650

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.

We present this painting thanks to our favorite Rijksmuseum from Amsterdam. : )

P.S. Unlike in this painting, swans in art often represent Zeus in the mythological theme of Leda. You can learn more about it here!