Hummingbird and Passionflowers

ca. 1875–85
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 760
Heade began painting hummingbirds as early as 1862, but the majority of his compositions date between 1875 and 1885, after his final trip to South America. The particular species of hummingbird represented here is the black-eared fairy Heliothryx aurita, whose habitat is the lowlands of the Amazon basin, as is the passionflower, or Passiflora racemosa. Heade, who was familiar with the scientific writings of Charles Darwin, has conveyed the dualities and interconnectedness between the flora and fauna in this painting.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Hummingbird and Passionflowers
  • Artist: Martin Johnson Heade (1819–1904)
  • Date: ca. 1875–85
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 20 x 12 in. (50.8 x 30.5 cm)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Gift of Albert Weatherby, 1946
  • Object Number: 46.17
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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