Hen and Chicks

A hen, carrying a bee in its beak, approaches, and the chicks, who had been playing in the yard, gather around their mother. Bees and butterflies are drawn to the pink roses behind a rock. The various actions of the chicks demonstrate the artist’s meticulous observation and delicate portrayal, as seen in the soft feathers of the chicks. This work is by Byeon Sangbyeok, an eighteenth-century court painter renowned for his portraiture and animal paintings. He was especially skilled in painting chickens and cats, earning him the nickname "Byeon the Cat."