Audubon's Deer at the Stream

A doe lowers her head to drink from a forest stream while the buck stands watch beside her — antlers raised, gaze fixed on something beyond the frame. It is a moment of quiet vigilance, the kind that anyone who has waited at the edge of a treeline knows by heart. John Woodhouse Audubon drew this scene as "Cervus Virginianus" in 1848, and the original hand-colored lithograph is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Here it returns as a single continuous piece of laser-cut steel.

The plate belongs to The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, the great natural history project Audubon undertook with the Reverend John Bachman. Where the elder Audubon had charted the birds of a continent, this volume turned to its mammals — observed in the field, drawn with the patience of a naturalist who knew his subject would not hold still. The white-tailed deer is rendered in habitat: dense trees, a rocky bank, clear water threading between scattered stones.

Cut from a single sheet of 2mm low-carbon steel, every element stays structurally connected — the branching antlers, the bent neck of the drinking doe, the foliage and the line of the stream. No welding, no assembly, no separate pieces joined afterward. The panel is powder-coated for lasting protection: matte black for sharp contrast against light walls, matte white for a softer presence, or raw steel with a clear coat that keeps the natural grain. The corten rust finish develops a warm patina over months.

Mounted on standoff spacers, the panel floats 15mm from the wall. Ambient light casts a layered shadow behind the steel — the forest scene drawn twice, once in metal and once in light. As the day moves, the shadow shifts and the deer seem to step deeper into the wall.

Available in five sizes from S (45 cm) to XXL (130 cm) on the longer side, each scaled to preserve the lithograph's proportions. Weight ranges from approximately 1.5 kg (S) to 8 kg (XXL). All finishes and sizing details are covered in the craft and delivery guide.

Part of the animals collection. See also the Raven in Flight, or browse the full wildlife selection.