Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Adriaen Van De Venne’S Skating Owls (1620-1660), Sarah James Dyer, Martha Peacock

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Although some scholars think that Skating Owls (1620-1660) by Adriaen van de Venne (Fig. 1) is solely a lighthearted piece, I have found that through his use of iconographic imagery and well-known proverbs, van de Venne was able to generate a work of art intended to portray a moralizing message condemning the vice of adultery and warning the male audience about the dangers of cunning women. It was imperative for my thesis to see the artwork in person to conduct further research and gain a greater knowledge about the artwork’s purpose. Very little is known or has been published on …