A Perch of Birds, c1880. Twenty-four finches, varying in pose and color, are perched in a row. This watercolor is a variant of one of the artists most popular subjects, "Un b?ton de cage." Another variation of this composition in the Lucas Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art is inscribed: "Giacomelli a Mr. Lucas affecteux souvenir dune aquarelle." Henri Beraldi wrote of this artist, "Giacomelli is the Van Huysum [Jan Van Huysum, 1682-1749, Dutch flower-painter] of tiny birds, tender and ravishing, which give the impression of being pensive. The bird is to Giacomelli what the cat is to Lambert [Louis-Eug?ne Lambert, 1825-1900, French painter who specialized in cat subjects]. A respectable bird must be a Giacomelli bird; A non-Giacomelli bird is a false bird," (H. Beraldi, "Les Graveurs du XIXE si?cle," Paris, 1885-92, 7:105).