A Fable from Aesop: The Vain Jackdaw
- Artist: Pieter Casteels
- Date: 1723
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: frame: 1826 × 2526 × 42 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “A Fable from Aesop: The Vain Jackdaw” by Pieter Casteels. Painted in 1723, it’s an oil on canvas that measures roughly 1.8 by 2.5 metres – a size that makes you feel as though the scene is unfolding right above your head. Casteels, a Dutch artist active in the early eighteenth‑century, had a knack for capturing the lively behaviour of birds with a touch of moralising wit.
In the picture, a jackdaw—known for its shiny, almost vain plumage—perches on a branch, eyeing itself in a small, reflective bowl. The artist uses the bird’s glossy feathers and exaggerated gaze to underscore the fable’s lesson: vanity is fleeting, and self‑congratulation often masks a lack of substance. The composition is balanced with a muted background that lets the bird’s bright colours pop, drawing the viewer’s eye directly to the moral punchline.
Casteels’ technique is deft; his brushwork is quick enough to give the bird a sense of motion, yet controlled to preserve detail. The painting was accepted in lieu of Inheritance Tax by the UK government and brought into the national collection in 2020, reflecting its enduring appeal. It currently belongs to the “Birds” exhibition, where it sits among other works that celebrate avian subjects and the stories they inspire.
See it in person
A Fable from Aesop: The Vain Jackdaw is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
