(Head of peafowl)

Hans Frank

An elegant and classic depiction of an Indian peafowl featuring its jewel-toned neck and head with the striking white eye patch. Hans Frank's style in this blockprint resides stylistically between Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts genres, its simple composition made visually stunning by his use of rich colors against negative space.

Part of the pheasant family, peafowl are more commonly known as peacocks (male) and peahens (female). Both have crested heads as seen in this image, and while the males feature the deep blue-green feathers around the neck and face, the peahens' coloring is muted, mostly in shades of brown and white. Peafowl are polygamous and, after mating, a peahen will go off to lay her eggs and raise her chicks alone. In this color woodcut, Hans Frank has depicted the Indian species of the peafowl native to India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.