Duck by Alexander Koester — Postcard

A single white duck fills the frame in this close-up study by Alexander Koester, its feathers built from loose, confident brushstrokes and its orange bill catching the only warm light in an otherwise shadowy setting. Koester was known for painting waterfowl again and again, and this portrait shows why: it turns an ordinary barnyard bird into the sole subject of the canvas.

• Postcard, 10×15 cm
• Thick paper, 350 g/m²

A good pick for anyone building a collection around animal painters rather than landscapes.