February 27, 1977

Dear Mr Plant:

It is always a pleasure to use my collection of Poultry Books and pictures to help someone with a problem. Also a pleasure to hear from someone in Australia, where I have never had a correspondent.

Enclosed herewith you will find a copy of the Jan Steen painting The Poultry Yard. He was, indeed, a Dutch Master, 1626-1679. I have made a Xerox of the information on the back of another copy, which I got in Holland.

This picture was used as the cover for the American Bantam Association Yearbook for 1961, and inside that book I gave a write-up about it, of which herewith also a Xerox. This is probably from which your friend quoted.

Now that I look at it with a magnifying glass, under a strong light, I wonder what I could have had in mind about a Black Cochin Bantam? I must have been using powerful imagination and enthusiasm about the little black hen just to the left of the White Polish. I am sorry and ashamed to have raised your hopes.

The Dutch claim to have had sea Captains bringing poultry from the Far East long before the English and some of their claims are borne out by the paintings of another Dutch Master, Hondecoeter, 1636-1695. I have many Museum photocopies of his pictures, and Crested White Polish, Black Breasted Reds, Mottled White and possibly some Partridge color are clearly recognisable, but no Bantams, nor anything like Cochin shape and feathering.

I am sure if the Dutch could claim to be the first to have Cochin Bantams, they would. But I have the Dutch Bantam Standard and can read enough Dutch to see that they give the same 1860 story of the Cochin Bantams being brought to England, that was given by W.B.Tegetmeir, in the Poultry Book, 1867, page 251. This story in H.H.Price’s article, from the ABA Yearbook 1953, is also enclosed. Again a disappointment.

I believe the Cochin Bantams were probably brought to near perfection in China, over many years’ time, possibly for the nobility only, since they were found by Europeans in the Palace grounds. But I doubt very much that records of the process were kept. Our only hope of knowing would be if representations of them appear in paintings, screens or ceramics known if you get any useful information from Peking. I will watch exhibitions of Chinese things here.

Your name Pekin for these little fellows is much more accurate than our Cochin. It is of record that the originals came from Peking. If you bring out a book please pt me down for a copy. I have only two Australian books, The King of Fowls by Marshall, and Australasian Book of Poultry, 1899, by Compton.

Cordially,