Eagle Perched

Artist Maynard Dixon (1875 - 1946)

Date1923

MediumInk on paper

Dimensions5 3/8 x 2 1/2 in. (13.7 x 6.4 cm)
Framed (gold, wired, glazed): 11 1/4 x 7 1/2 x 1/2 in. (28.6 x 19.1 x 1.3 cm)

ClassificationsDrawing

Credit LineGift of Michael J. Rivard and Carol Susan Rivard

Object number2019.049

DescriptionThis intimate ink drawing captures Maynard Dixon’s masterful ability to convey strength and character with remarkable economy of line. Perched alertly on a branch, the eagle is rendered with confident, fluid strokes that suggest both the bird’s physical power and its poised stillness. Though modest in scale, the drawing reveals Dixon’s deep admiration for symbols of the American West—especially the eagle, long associated with independence, vigilance, and resilience.

Created as a Christmas card for Arthur Millier, the influential art critic of the "Los Angeles Times," this work offers a rare glimpse into Dixon’s personal exchanges with fellow figures in California’s cultural life. It also underscores his lifelong fascination with wildlife and nature, subjects he approached not as decorative motifs but as embodiments of the Western spirit.

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