Oil, acrylic and gold leaf on wood, 12x12x2cm.
In this small gilded icon, the humble wren is elevated to his ancient mythic status: the King of Birds. Painted against a field of distressed gold leaf, he stands crowned beneath a soft, luminous halo—an honour not of grandeur, but of cunning, resilience, and quiet sovereignty.
Across European folklore, the wren earned the title kinglet after outsmarting the mighty eagle by hiding in its feathers and soaring higher than any bird could alone. This tiny creature, often overlooked, became a symbol of cleverness, endurance, and the power of small things to rise above great forces.