A Sparrowhawk

A Sparrowhawk (Italian: Uno sparviero) is a painting by Venetian artist Jacopo de' Barbari, probably made late in the 1510s, while he was working in the Netherlands towards the end of his life.

Jacopo de' Barbari, A Sparrowhawk, National Gallery, London.

Painted in oils on an oak panel, it measures 17.8 cm × 10.8 cm (7.0 in × 4.3 in). It depicts a female sparrowhawk, perched on a wooden rail near the corner of a room, with shadows thrown onto the plain plastered wall behind. The grey-winged bird of prey has jesses with a bell attached to its legs. It may be a fragment of a larger work, now lost. It has been considered as an early example of a trompe-l'œil painting, using perspective and shadows to give the impression of a real bird occupying space, similar to The Goldfinch of Carel Fabritius.

It was acquired by the National Gallery, London in 1916, as part of the Layard Bequest.