Mallards on a lake (1908)

Dated 1908, "Mallards on a lake" is an artwork by Archibald Thorburn. It is listed in the Plants & Animals collection. The image is in landscape orientation. Plants & Animals in brief: Naturalists and artists often worked together, especially on voyages and in published surveys of flora and fauna. Images of plants and animals are valued both for the care of their observation and for their decorative appeal. About the period around 1908: Dada and Surrealism followed the First World War, the Bauhaus school was founded in 1919, and Art Deco became the fashionable decorative style of the 1920s and 1930s. The first decades of the twentieth century were a period of rapid experiment, with Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, and the first abstract painting appearing within a few years of each other.

Everything for "Mallards on a lake" arrives digitally: Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI. Once payment is confirmed, an email brings the download link, and from there you decide how to print it, whether at home, at a print shop, or through an online service. A landscape format suits wide, low wall spaces such as the stretch above a bed, mantel, or sideboard. Flora and fauna subjects make an interior feel softer and more alive, adding a natural rhythm that works well in both traditional and contemporary spaces. Matching the frame to the image proportions avoids cropping. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks. Hang the print away from direct sunlight, which over the years can fade any printed colour. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size.

Scottish, 1860–1935

If you like the visual language of Archibald Thorburn, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.