A small, almost life-size goldfinch sits on its feeding box, chained by one leg. Pet goldfinches were trained to draw up water in a tiny bucket. Fabritius painted it with a few quick strokes on a wooden panel, probably as a trompe-l’oeil to hang on a wall.

He painted it in 1654. That same year he was killed when the gunpowder store in Delft exploded and destroyed his studio, along with most of his work. Only around a dozen of his paintings survive.