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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

Owl and Young

Owl and Young 2004
Joanasie Manning (b.1967)
Steatite & bone
H 21 x W 20 cm
Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge

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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

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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

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Pecking Order Pole
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Tony Bennett / Art UK
Pecking Order Pole c.1999
Andy Hancock
Norway spruce
H 915 cm

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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