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 shows seven pigeons in various positions are seen on the ledge of the arched embrasure of a dovecote, around the left side of which ivy grows; with a trompe l'oeil cartellino bearing the artist's signature and date in the lower left corner. The illusion of the arched aperture pays tribute to similar effects in 17th-century Dutch art, in particular the work of Gerrit Dou (see RCIN 405542).