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A little bird mentioned that #SuperbOwlSunday falls on the 7th February this year. In celebration, here is a spotlight on some of the finest depictions of owls on Art UK.

21 artworks
Owlegarchy
Image credit: Norfolk Museums Service

Owlegarchy 1848

Alfred Priest (1810–1850)

Oil on canvas

H 77 x W 63.7 cm

Norfolk Museums Service

Head of an Owl
© DACS 2024. Image credit: Royal Academy of Music

Head of an Owl

Carlo Levi (1902–1975)

Oil on wood

H 65 x W 44 cm

Royal Academy of Music

Tawny Owl
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Historic England Archive

Tawny Owl

R. Williams (active c.1960–1988)

Oil on card

H 30.5 x W 20.5 cm

English Heritage, Brodsworth Hall

Barn Owl
© the artist. Image credit: The Beacon Museum

Barn Owl

Gordon Griffiths (b.1944)

Steel & wood

H 98 x W 51 x D 37 cm

The Beacon Museum

Owl
© ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2024. Image credit: Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Owl

Walter Spitzer (b.1927)

Oil on canvas

H 17.8 x W 11.5 cm

Paintings Collection

Owl
© Walenty Pytel. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2023. Image credit: Stockport Heritage Services

Owl 1973

Walenty Pytel (b.1941)

Welded steel

H 49.5 x W 34.5 x D 16 cm

Stockport Heritage Services

Two Owls
Image credit: Totnes Elizabethan House Museum

Two Owls

Joy Sulway

Acrylic on board

H 25.3 x W 35.7 cm

Totnes Elizabethan House Museum

Night Owls
© the artist. Image credit: University of Bristol

Night Owls 2017

Julian Warren (b.1958)

Stainless steel

H 50 x W 25 x D 25 cm

University of Bristol

Owl of Few Words
© the artist. Image credit: Lancashire County Council

Owl of Few Words c.2003

Marjan Wouda (b.1960)

Bronze (?)

H 61 x W 22.5 x D 26 cm

Lancashire County Council

The One-Legged Owl with a Cinnamon Lute
Image credit: Dudley Museums Service

The One-Legged Owl with a Cinnamon Lute

Keith Rowntree

Oil on canvas

H 61 x W 46 cm

Dudley Museums Service

Barred Owl
© the copyright holder. Image credit: American Museum & Gardens

Barred Owl 1985

Charles Joslin (1922–2001)

Wood engraving on paper

H 29.4 x W 21.2 cm

American Museum & Gardens

The Gates of Death
© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum

The Gates of Death 1969

John Bellany (1942–2013)

Oil on canvas

H 186.5 x W 152.5 cm

The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum

Francis Carruthers Gould (1844–1925), at His Desk
Image credit: Barnstaple Town Council

Francis Carruthers Gould (1844–1925), at His Desk 1899

Alec Carruthers Gould (1870–1948)

Oil on canvas

H 38 x W 50 cm

Barnstaple Town Council

The Owl and the Pussycat
© Peter Blake. All rights reserved, DACS 2023. Image credit: Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

The Owl and the Pussycat 1981–1983

Peter Blake (b.1932)

Tempera on hardboard

H 27.3 x W 31.8 cm

Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

James Boswell (1740–1795), Diarist and Biographer of Dr Samuel Johnson
Image credit: National Galleries of Scotland

James Boswell (1740–1795), Diarist and Biographer of Dr Samuel Johnson 1765

George Willison (1741–1797)

Oil on canvas

H 135.2 x W 96.5 cm

National Galleries of Scotland

Barn Owl
© the artist. Image credit: Northern Ireland Civil Service

Barn Owl 1997

Verner Finlay (b.1962)

Oil on board

H 25 x W 18 cm

Northern Ireland Civil Service

Owl and Young
© reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts. Image credit: Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge

Owl and Young 2004

Joanasie Manning (b.1967)

Steatite & bone

H 21 x W 20 cm

Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge

A Man in Armour
Image credit: Glasgow Life Museums

A Man in Armour 1655 (?)

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669)

Oil on canvas

H 137.5 x W 104.4 cm

Glasgow Life Museums

A Pair of Owls
Image credit: National Trust Images

A Pair of Owls 1905

August Gaul (1869–1922)

Bronze, glass & porphyry

H 21.6 x W 12.7 x D 10.8 cm

National Trust, Shaw's Corner

Pecking Order Pole
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Tony Bennett / Art UK

Pecking Order Pole c.1999

Andy Hancock

Norway spruce

H 915 cm

Screech Owl
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

Screech Owl 1961

Vincenc Vingler (1911–1975)

Coarse stoneware

H 40.6 cm

Herbert Art Gallery & Museum