Max Josef Hänger (1874-1941)

POULTRY BEYOND THE HOMESTEAD

Oil on wooden panel, 20,5x27 cm (47,5x53 cm), signed and marked lower left "M. Hänger München". Framed, glazed. This typical rural genre scene with a flock of hens and three roosters presents not only an idyllic view of a farmyard, but also subtly suggests the hierarchy and dynamics within the community. While a farmyard was traditionally depicted with a single rooster as a symbol of authority, vigilance and protector of the flock, the presence of three males here creates tension and hints at competition for dominance. The placement of the roosters in the composition – one prominently in the centre, the others slightly to the side – visually underscores the struggle for leadership, evident both in nature and in human society. The hens around them embody the stability of domestic life, care and abundance, while the roosters symbolise strength, alertness, self-assertion and territorial protection. The painting thus goes beyond a simple rural scene and becomes a subtle allegory of social structure, rivalry and the balance between dominance and harmony. Condition B.