---
title: "Birds and Fish (2006), Chico da Silva by Babá, painting"
description: "Birds and Fish (2006), Chico da Silva by Babá. Acrylic on canvas, 75 x 100 cm. Painting in the João Cunha Collection."
canonical: https://chicodasilva.org/en/paintings/birds-and-fish-2006-054/
lang: en
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
translations:
  en: https://chicodasilva.org/en/paintings/birds-and-fish-2006-054/
  es: https://chicodasilva.org/es/pinturas/aves-y-peces-2006-054/
  fr: https://chicodasilva.org/fr/peintures/oiseaux-et-poissons-2006-054/
  pt: https://chicodasilva.org/pt/pinturas/aves-e-peixes-2006-054/
  ar: https://chicodasilva.org/ar/%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AA/%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%88%D8%A3%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%83-2006-054/
  zh-Hans: https://chicodasilva.cn/%E4%BD%9C%E5%93%81/%E7%BE%A4%E9%B8%9F%E4%B8%8E%E9%B1%BC-2006-054/
---

# Birds and Fish

![A large peacock-like bird with a long jeweled tail sweeping across the canvas, with two smaller birds at left. Birds and Fish, Chico da Silva by Babá, 2006, acrylic on canvas.](https://img.chicodasilva.org/jcc-054/chico-da-silva-by-baba-birds-and-fish-2006-acrylic-on-canvas-75x100cm-joao-cunha-collection-jcc-054-chicodasilva.org-640.jpg)

[Download image](https://img.chicodasilva.org/jcc-054/chico-da-silva-by-baba-birds-and-fish-2006-acrylic-on-canvas-75x100cm-joao-cunha-collection-jcc-054-chicodasilva.org-3200.jpg)

Description for blind and low-vision visitors

A horizontal painting dominated by one enormous bird whose body and long tail sweep diagonally from the lower left up to the right. The bird has a small crested red head at the left, a long pointed beak, and a body striped in blue, yellow and pink that flows into a vast plume-like tail covered with rows of teardrop and eye-spot motifs in red, orange, green and pink. The tail curves up and over toward the right edge, where it breaks into feathery red and yellow striations. At the lower left two smaller crested birds with rounded patterned bodies stand close together. The upper background is pale blue with fine wavy striations, the lower right is a band of green dotted with small red flowers, and an orange and red striped sweep runs along the lower edge.

- **Artist:** [Chico da Silva by Babá](https://chicodasilva.org/en/biography/)
- **Year:** 2006
- **Technique:** Acrylic on canvas
- **Support:** Canvas
- **Dimensions:** 75 x 100 cm
- **Motif:** [Birds](https://chicodasilva.org/en/motifs/birds/)[Fish](https://chicodasilva.org/en/motifs/fish/)
- **Collection:** [João Cunha Collection](https://chicodasilva.org/en/about/)
- **Signature:** CHICO DA SILVA / POR BABA, lower left
- **Photo:** Eric Keki
- **Inventory no.:** [JCC-054](https://chicodasilva.org/id/jcc-054)

## The signature

![Detail of the painted signature: «CHICO DA SILVA / POR BABA»](https://img.chicodasilva.org/signatures/baba-signature-2006-jcc-054-chicodasilva.org-640.jpg)

*The canvas is signed “CHICO DA SILVA / POR BABA”, in the lower left corner.*

## Provenance

1.  The artist, Fortaleza, 2006
2.  Instituto Cultural Oboé, Fortaleza
3.  Leilão Montenegro, auction, 2025
4.  João Cunha Collection

## How to credit

[Photographs free to reuse, with credit (CC BY 4.0)](https://chicodasilva.org/en/about/#license)

Chico da Silva by Babá, “Birds and Fish” (2006). Photo: Eric Keki, João Cunha Collection, CC BY 4.0. https://chicodasilva.org/id/jcc-054

The license covers the photograph, not the painting.

## For IIIF viewers

-   [IIIF manifest](https://chicodasilva.org/iiif/jcc-054/manifest.json)