Henri Voordecker (1779-1861) studied with Jean-Baptiste le Roy. He specialized in genre scenes, landscapes and romantic depictions of animals, particularly pigeons. During his lifetime he won acclaim in Britain. His painting The Hunter's Return was bought by the Rijksmuseum, and his Dovecote can be seen in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels.

This is one of two pigeon-loft scenes in the collection (RCIN 400812 & 403872); though of the same date, they do not appear to be a pair. This one hung in the Duchess of Kent’s Dressing Room at Osborne, circa 1876, and was one of Queen Victoria’s earliest presents to the Prince Consort of paintings by foreign contemporary artists. The settings in both Voordeckers in the collection are inspired by the arched views of shops by Dutch 17th century artists, like Gerrit Dou (see RCIN 405542), except in the case of RCIN 403872 we are outside the pigeon loft looking in (as one might expect) and in this case we are in the loft looking out (in a pigeon's-eye view of the world).

Eight pigeons of assorted colours perch on a wooden ledge by the arched aperture of a pigeon loft; framed by an opening surrounded by ivy, the birds are thrown into relief by the cloudy, pale blue sky behind. One pigeon is depicted in flight, seemingly returning to the loft. The opening frames a woodland landscape in which a Baroque castle, possibly the royal residence at Laeken in Belgium, is situated. An avenue with a neoclassical temple is discernible in the distance.