The depictions of ducks embedded in landscapes earned the artist a reputation as "Duck Koester", a name still in use today. In our painting, seven ducks frolic in a shady pond amidst a lush green forest. The duck swarm is rendered in direct near-vision, the shore only schematically suggested in the upper margin of the picture. Koester fixes the fleeting impression of the changing appearance of the ducks in bright and pastose dots of colors that only merge in the eye of the beholder. The optical appeal is primarily of interest: the shimmering reflections of the water, the iridescent play of light on the delicate plumage of the animals. Everything has been captured in a relaxed, slightly impressionistic duct that convincingly conveys his technical qualities, for example in the of flickering light breaking through the treetops. This combination of a naturalistic view and an atmospheric impression is one of the main characteristics of Alexander Koester's duck paintings, whose artistic virtuosity has fascinated and convinced the international art market to this day. [FS]