A sulphur-crested cockatoo, a red-crested cardinal and a white pheasant in a landscape, with a fallen urn behind

Abraham Bisschop was the youngest son of Cornelius Bisschop (1630-1674), a court painter to the King of Denmark. He is best known for his paintings of both native and exotic birds in Italianate landscapes, often incorporating classical ruins and urns, and he also worked on a large scale for decorative schemes in grand houses. In 1715, Bisschop was elected to the painters’ guild of Middelburg, the capital of the province of Zeeland, where he may have spent the final years of his life.

The attribution to Abraham Bisschop was endorsed by Dr. Fred G. Meijer following first-hand inspection when the painting was on the art market in 2009.