Turkey - Bernard Van HumBeeck (1888- 1965)

Together with the Antwerp-based animal-sculptor Georges Collard (1881-1961), who only made bronze sculptures of animals, and Philippe Wolfers (1858-1929), Van Humbeeck is one of the very rare sculptors to choose as a subject a turkey (meleagris gallopavo) in all its natural dignity. Their remote predecessor the Flemish Giambologna (15291608) realized a bronze turkey which for the universal history of sculpture attained an iconic significance.
Rendered life-size in marble, its appearance is somewhat estranging, and the artist has attempted to make the massive volume lighter by freeing up the feet and the caruncle on the upper beak. What is remarkable is the effect of the individually rendered feathers that seem to cover the entire body like scales.