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 CATESBY, Mark (1683-1749)
Oyster Catcher with Frutex Bahamensis (Black Mangrove) [Pl. 85, Vol. I]
[Pl. 85, Vol. I]. London: printed for Benjamin White, 1771 [Third edition]. Hand-coloured copper engraving, on fine laid paper. Good condition apart from some browning due to mild offsetting and an uneven bottom edge. Plate mark: 10 3/8 x 14 inches. Sheet size: 14 1/8 x 20 inches.
A fine image from Catesby's "The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands," "the most famous colour-plate book of American plant and animal life...a fundamental and original work for the study of American species" (Hunt).
Pictured alongside the black mangrove plant, the American oystercatcher is a distinctive, large shorebird that is commonly found along the southern Atlantic coast. They primarily subsist on bivalves, particularly oysters, "nature," explains Catesby, "having not only formed their bills suitable to the work, but armed the feet and legs for a defense against the sharp edges of the oysters. The hens differ from the cocks in not having the red circle around their eyes, and their bellies are of a more dirty white than in the cocks..." (Feduccia, Catesby's Birds of Colonial America (1985), p. 42)
Trained as a botanist, Catesby travelled to Virginia in 1712 and remained there for seven years, sending back to England collections of plants and seeds. With the encouragement of Sir Hans Sloane and others, Catesby returned to America in 1722 to seek materials for his "Natural History"; he travelled extensively in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and the Bahamas, sending back further specimens. His preface provides a lengthy account of the development of this work, including his decision to study with Joseph Goupy in order to learn to etch his plates himself, to ensure accuracy and economy.
A lovely and important work, embodying the most impressive record made during the colonial period of the natural history of an American colony. The most significant work of American natural history before Audubon's "The Birds of America".
Cf. Anker 95; cf. Clark I:55; cf. Dunthorne 72; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 86; cf. Great Flower Books (1990), p.85; cf. Meisel III:340; cf. Nissen BBI 336, IVB 177; cf. Sabin 11509; cf. Stafleu & Cowan TL2 1057; cf. Wood, p. 282; cf. Amy Meyers and Margaret Pritchard, Empire's Nature, Mark Catesby's New World Vision, Williamsburg, 1998; cf. Feduccia, Catesby's Birds of Colonial America, p. 42-3.
#8043 $2,000.00  
 CATESBY, Mark (1683-1749)
Pied-Bill Dobchick (Pied-Bill Grebe) [Pl. 91, Vol. I]
[Pl. 91, Vol. I]. London: printed for Benjamin White, 1771 [Third edition]. Hand-coloured copper engraving, on fine laid paper. Very good condition apart from some light soiling and minor foxing. Plate mark: 10 3/8 x 12 3/8 inches. Sheet size: 13 7/8 x 19 7/8 inches.
A fine image from Catesby's 'The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands', "the most famous colour-plate book of American plant and animal life...a fundamental and original work for the study of American species" (Hunt)
Found all over the world, the duck-like pied-bill grebes are also commonly known as dabchicks or hell-divers. They are diving birds, which can be distinguished from ducks by the webbing on their individual toes. The pied-billed grebe is one of three species of grebes that inhabit the coastal areas of the Carolinas and are so-called because of the black ring that appears around their bills during the summer months. They are primarily found in marshes, lakes and ponds.
Trained as a botanist, Catesby travelled to Virginia in 1712 and remained there for seven years, sending back to England collections of plants and seeds. With the encouragement of Sir Hans Sloane and others, Catesby returned to America in 1722 to seek materials for his 'Natural History'; he travelled extensively in Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the Bahamas, sending back further specimens. His preface provides a lengthy account of the development of this work, including his decision to study with Joseph Goupy in order to learn to etch his plates himself to ensure accuracy and economy.
A lovely and important work, embodying the most impressive record made during the colonial period of the natural history of an American colony. The most significant work of American natural history before Audubon's Birds of America.
Cf. Anker 95; cf. Clark I:55; cf. Dunthorne 72; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 86; cf. Great Flower Books (1990), p.85; cf. Meisel III:340; cf. Nissen BBI 336, IVB 177; cf. Sabin 11509; cf. Stafleu & Cowan TL2 1057; cf. Wood p. 282; cf. Amy Meyers and Margaret Pritchard, Empire's Nature, Mark Catesby's New World Vision, Williamsburg, 1998; cf. Feduccia, Catesby's Birds of Colonial America (1985), p. 17.
#8030$2,500.00
 CATESBY, Mark (1683-1749)
Pigeon Hawk [Pl. 3, Vol. I]
[Pl. 3, Vol. I]. London: printed for Benjamin White, 1771 [Third edition]. Hand-coloured copper engraving, on fine laid paper. Very good condition apart from slight offsetting. Plate mark: 10 1/4 x 14 1/8 inches. Sheet size: 13 5/8 x 20 7/8 inches.
A fine image from Catesby's 'The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands', "the most famous colour-plate book of American plant and animal life...a fundamental and original work for the study of American species" (Hunt)
A small, nimble falcon resembling the peregrine falcon in miniature, the pigeon-hawk is one of the rarest types of falcon. It primarily subsists on small birds and insects and today does not commonly frequent the regions in which Catesby traveled. In his accompanying text, Catesby describes this remarkable bird as "a very swift and bold hawk, preying on pigeons and wild turkeys while they are young." (Feduccia, Catesby's Birds of Colonial America (1985), p. 36)
Trained as a botanist, Catesby travelled to Virginia in 1712 and remained there for seven years, sending back to England collections of plants and seeds. With the encouragement of Sir Hans Sloane and others, Catesby returned to America in 1722 to seek materials for his 'Natural History'; he travelled extensively in Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the Bahamas, sending back further specimens. His preface provides a lengthy account of the development of this work, including his decision to study with Joseph Goupy in order to learn to etch his plates himself to ensure accuracy and economy.
A lovely and important work, embodying the most impressive record made during the colonial period of the natural history of an American colony. The most significant work of American natural history before Audubon's Birds of America.
Cf. Anker 95; cf. Clark I:55; cf. Dunthorne 72; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 86; cf. Great Flower Books (1990), p.85; cf. Meisel III:340; cf. Nissen BBI 336, IVB 177; cf. Sabin 11509; cf. Stafleu & Cowan TL2 1057; cf. Wood p. 282; cf. Amy Meyers and Margaret Pritchard, Empire's Nature, Mark Catesby's New World Vision, Williamsburg, 1998.
#8014$1,100.00
 CATESBY, Mark (1683-1749)
Pilchard with Ti-Ti [Pl. 24, Vol. II]
[Pl. 24, Vol. II]. London: printed for Benjamin White, 1771 [Third edition]. Hand-coloured copper engraving, on fine laid paper. Very good condition . Plate mark: 14 x 10 1/8 inches. Sheet size: 20 1/8 x 13 7/8 inches.
A fine image from Catesby's "The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands," "the most famous colour-plate book of American plant and animal life...a fundamental and original work for the study of American species." (Hunt).
Also known as the red-ear herring and red-ear sardine, the pilchard can commonly be found in the coral reefs, coastal waters, and shorelines of Florida, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Guianas. This slender fish is pictured in this stunning print with the ti-ti plant of the Bahamas, which also grows behind the black mangroves of the Florida Everglades.
Trained as a botanist, Catesby travelled to Virginia in 1712 and remained there for seven years, sending back to England collections of plants and seeds. With the encouragement of Sir Hans Sloane and others, Catesby returned to America in 1722 to seek materials for his "Natural History". He travelled extensively in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and the Bahamas, sending back further specimens. His preface provides a lengthy account of the development of this work, including his decision to study with Joseph Goupy in order to learn to etch his plates himself, to ensure accuracy and economy.
A lovely and important work, embodying the most impressive record made during the colonial period of the natural history of an American colony. The most significant work of American natural history before Audubon's The Birds of America.
Cf. Anker 95; cf. Clark I:55; cf. Dunthorne 72; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 86; cf. Great Flower Books (1990), p.85; cf. Meisel III:340; cf. Nissen BBI 336, IVB 177; cf. Sabin 11509; cf. Stafleu & Cowan TL2 1057; cf. Wood p. 282; cf. Amy Meyers and Margaret Pritchard, Empire's Nature, Mark Catesby's New World Vision, Williamsburg, 1998.
#8031$900.00
 CATESBY, Mark (1683-1749)
[Pink Flamingo head] Caput Phaenicopteri.The Bill of the Flamingo in Its Full Dimensions [Pl. 74, Vol. I]
[Pl. 74, Vol. I]. London: printed for Benjamin White, 1771 [Third edition]. Hand-coloured copper engraving, on fine laid paper. Very good condition. Plate mark: 14 1/8 x 10 1/8 inches. Sheet size: 20 x 14 inches.
A fine image from Catesby's 'The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands', "the most famous colour-plate book of American plant and animal life...a fundamental and original work for the study of American species" (Hunt).
"These birds," Catesby observes, "make their nests on hillocks in shallow water; on which they sit with their legs extended down, like a man sitting on a stool. They breed on the coasts of Cuba and Bahama Islands, and frequent salt water only...This bird resembles the heron in shape, excepting the bill." (Feduccia, Catesby's Birds of Colonial America (1985), p. 48) Catesby executed this particular plate of a flamingo's head set against a piece of gorgonian coral in order to give a detailed, close-up view of the flamingo's unique bill. With its perfectly aligned, downwardly angled upper and lower mandibles, the latter of which is keel-shaped and the former thin and flat, and the tooth like ridges adorning its exterior, the flamingo's singular bill is finely adapted for filter feeding.
Trained as a botanist, Catesby travelled to Virginia in 1712 and remained there for seven years, sending back to England collections of plants and seeds. With the encouragement of Sir Hans Sloane and others, Catesby returned to America in 1722 to seek materials for his 'Natural History'; he travelled extensively in Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the Bahamas, sending back further specimens. His preface provides a lengthy account of the development of this work, including his decision to study with Joseph Goupy in order to learn to etch his plates himself to ensure accuracy and economy.
A lovely and important work, embodying the most impressive record made during the colonial period of the natural history of an American colony. The most significant work of American natural history before Audubon's Birds of America.
Cf. Anker 95; cf. Clark I:55; cf. Dunthorne 72; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 86; cf. Great Flower Books (1990), p.85; cf. Meisel III:340; cf. Nissen BBI 336, IVB 177; cf. Sabin 11509; cf. Stafleu & Cowan TL2 1057; cf. Wood p. 282; cf. Amy Meyers and Margaret Pritchard, Empire's Nature, Mark Catesby's New World Vision, Williamsburg, 1998.
#14548$2,200.00
 CATESBY, Mark (1683-1749)
Plumeria Flore Roseo (Red Frangipanni) [Pl. 92, Vol. II]
[Pl. 92, Vol. II]. London: printed for Benjamin White, 1771 [Third edition]. Hand-coloured copper engraving, on fine laid paper. Very good condition. Plate mark: 13 7/8 x 10 1/8 inches. Sheet size: 20 1/8 x 13 5/8 inches.
A fine image from Catesby's 'The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands', "the most famous colour-plate book of American plant and animal life...a fundamental and original work for the study of American species" (Hunt).
Named after Charles Plumier, the seventeenth-century botanist who studied numerous species of tropical plants, red frangipani (Plumeria rubra) is a small tree indigenous to Central America. It can also be found in the tropical climates of the United States and is renowned for its powerfully fragrant flowers.
Trained as a botanist, Catesby travelled to Virginia in 1712 and remained there for seven years, sending back to England collections of plants and seeds. With the encouragement of Sir Hans Sloane and others, Catesby returned to America in 1722 to seek materials for his 'Natural History'; he travelled extensively in Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the Bahamas, sending back further specimens. His preface provides a lengthy account of the development of this work, including his decision to study with Joseph Goupy in order to learn to etch his plates himself to ensure accuracy and economy.
A lovely and important work, embodying the most impressive record made during the colonial period of the natural history of an American colony. The most significant work of American natural history before Audubon's Birds of America.
Cf. Anker 95; cf. Clark I:55; cf. Dunthorne 72; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 86; cf. Great Flower Books (1990), p.85; cf. Meisel III:340; cf. Nissen BBI 336, IVB 177; cf. Sabin 11509; cf. Stafleu & Cowan TL2 1057; cf. Wood p. 282; cf. Amy Meyers and Margaret Pritchard, Empire's Nature, Mark Catesby's New World Vision, Williamsburg, 1998.
#8020$1,200.00
 CATESBY, Mark (1683-1749)
Pole Cat (Striped Skunk) with Day Flower [Pl. 62, Vol. II]
[Pl. 62, Vol. II]. London: printed for Benjamin White, 1771 [Third edition]. Hand-coloured copper engraving, on fine laid paper. Very good condition apart from some mild rippling in the bottom margin. Plate mark: 10 3/8 x 13 7/8 inches. Sheet size: 14 1/8 x 20 1/8 inches.
A fine image from Catesby's 'The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands', "the most famous colour-plate book of American plant and animal life...a fundamental and original work for the study of American species" (Hunt)
Pictured here with a Virginia dayflower, a native of Florida, the polecat or striped skunk is commonly found throughout the United States and southern Canada. It primarily inhabits woodlands, desert, and grassy plains and subsists on vegetables, insects, and small mammals. Skunks are notorious for the noxious musk they release when threatened and are easily recognizable due to their distinct black fur adorned with white stripes.
Trained as a botanist, Catesby travelled to Virginia in 1712 and remained there for seven years, sending back to England collections of plants and seeds. With the encouragement of Sir Hans Sloane and others, Catesby returned to America in 1722 to seek materials for his 'Natural History'; he travelled extensively in Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the Bahamas, sending back further specimens. His preface provides a lengthy account of the development of this work, including his decision to study with Joseph Goupy in order to learn to etch his plates himself to ensure accuracy and economy.
A lovely and important work, embodying the most impressive record made during the colonial period of the natural history of an American colony. The most significant work of American natural history before Audubon's Birds of America.
Cf. Anker 95; cf. Clark I:55; cf. Dunthorne 72; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 86; cf. Great Flower Books (1990), p.85; cf. Meisel III:340; cf. Nissen BBI 336, IVB 177; cf. Sabin 11509; cf. Stafleu & Cowan TL2 1057; cf. Wood p. 282; cf. Amy Meyers and Margaret Pritchard, Empire's Nature, Mark Catesby's New World Vision, Williamsburg, 1998.
#14544$1,750.00
 CATESBY, Mark (1683-1749)
[The Cat Bird] Muscicapa vertice nigro [Pl. 66, Vol. I]
[Pl. 66, Vol. I]. London: printed for Benjamin White, 1771 [Third edition]. Hand-coloured copper engraving, on fine laid paper. Very good condition. Plate mark: 14 x 10 inches. Sheet size: 20 1/8 x 13 7/8 inches.
A fine image from Catesby's 'The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands', "the most famous colour-plate book of American plant and animal life...a fundamental and original work for the study of American species" (Hunt)
Part of the family of mimic thrushes that includes the brown thrasher and mockingbird, the catbird is commonly found in southern Canada as well as the central, eastern and southern regions of the United States. Catesby observes in his accompanying text that "[t]his bird is not seen on lofty trees; but frequents bushes and thickets; and feeds on insects. It has but one note, which resembles the mewing of a cat; and which has given it its name. It lays a blue egg, and retires from Virginia in winter." (Feduccia, Catesby's Birds of Colonial America (1985), p. 103) In this stunning print, the charming catbird is pictured perched on a thin stem of sweet pepperbush, a shrub that thrives in damp areas.
Trained as a botanist, Catesby travelled to Virginia in 1712 and remained there for seven years, sending back to England collections of plants and seeds. With the encouragement of Sir Hans Sloane and others, Catesby returned to America in 1722 to seek materials for his 'Natural History'; he travelled extensively in Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the Bahamas, sending back further specimens. His preface provides a lengthy account of the development of this work, including his decision to study with Joseph Goupy in order to learn to etch his plates himself to ensure accuracy and economy.
A lovely and important work, embodying the most impressive record made during the colonial period of the natural history of an American colony. The most significant work of American natural history before Audubon's Birds of America.
Cf. Anker 95; cf. Clark I:55; cf. Dunthorne 72; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 86; cf. Great Flower Books (1990), p.85; cf. Meisel III:340; cf. Nissen BBI 336, IVB 177; cf. Sabin 11509; cf. Stafleu & Cowan TL2 1057; cf. Wood p. 282; cf. Amy Meyers and Margaret Pritchard, Empire's Nature, Mark Catesby's New World Vision, Williamsburg, 1998; cf. Feduccia, Catesby's Birds of Colonial America, pp. 103-4.
#14545$1,500.00
 CRADOCK, Marmaduke (1660-1717)
[A set of four ornithological prints]
London: Josephus Sympson, 1741. Large folio (16 1/2 x 20 5/16 inches). Without text (as issued). 4 copper-engraved plates by Josephus Sympson after Marmaduke Cradock, window-mounted within a modern cloth box, leather lettering-piece.
A fine lively series featuring at least 16 different species of birds.
Cradock was born at Somerton, near Ilchester, in Somerset in about 1660. He was apprenticed to a house painter in London, but at the end of the apprenticeship turned to painting animals, birds and still life. His success with private patrons was limited and, in the main, he produced pictures for dealers. The DNB describes his work for Josephus Sympson as being `very spirited' and notes that it was not until after his death that the 'merits of his pictures were recognised, and they rose in value'. Walpole praised some of his work, and examples are included in Lord Derby's famous collection at Knowsley and the Yale Centre for British Art.
The subjects of the plates are as follows:
1. A kestrel (?) carries off a chick, whilst a cock and hen and their four remaining chicks take flight, looking on are a pea-hen (?) and a barn owl, whilst a wren and a tit squabble on a roof nearby.
2. A cock pheasant stands guard on a stump, a juvenile pheasant makes off with an ear of corn, at a stream close by two kingfishers perch, on the banks of the stream a family of ducks (a drake, the female and 4 ducklings) feed, above them a third kingfisher flies off, in the background a duck sits on her nest.
3. A pigeon stands on a block of masonry, watched by a tit, a robin and a second pigeon, a short-tailed parrot perches on a nearby branch, above a pair of lapwings.
4. A woodpecker returns to the nest-hole to be greeted by its mate, on a nearby branch three sparrows perch, to the right of them are a pair of swallows and a fourth sparrow preening itself.
#3547$6,000.00
 CURTIS, William (1746-1799) and others, editors
The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden displayed
London: various imprints, 1787-1826. 54 volumes in 33 (vols. I-XLII in 21, index vols. to vols. I-XX and vols. I-XLII in one, vols. XLIII-LIII), octavo (9 x 5 1/2 inches). Uncoloured engraved portrait frontispiece of Curtis (at front of index vol.), 2694 engraved plates (2691 hand-coloured [178 of these folding]). Near-uniform contemporary tree calf, covers with gilt roll-tool border, the flat spines divided into six compartments, red morocco lettering-piece in the second, green morocco in the fourth, the others with repeat decoration in gilt centered on a large cornucopia tool, marbled endpapers.
A complete run in an exceptional binding of the first two series of one of the oldest scientific periodicals of its kind with hand-coloured engravings. "The reputation of the Magazine has always resided in the accuracy of its portrayal of plants. This pictorial record of garden and greenhouse plants from the temperate and tropical regions of the world has no rival.." (Desmond p.7)
William Curtis had witnessed from personal experience that his clients refused to buy folio pictures of plants (vide. his Flora Londinensis) but he felt that they would subscribe to an octavo work which pictured the showy plants that filled their gardens: from this premise was born the Botanical Magazine in February 1787. The work was immediately successful, and the early volumes were quickly re-issued. The bound volumes of the present set comprises First Series: vols. 1-42 in 21 vols; New Series (1st), vols. 43-53 in 11 vols. Curtis edited the work until his death in 1799 (vols.1-13), John Sims then took over until 1826. Also included are two general indices for the first 42 volumes, issued in 1805 (with a fine portrait of Curtis) and 1817. The plates were worked on by most of the most prominent botanical artists of the day, but the majority of the plates up to volume 43 are by Sydenham Edwards.
Great Flower Books (1990) pp. 156-7; Henrey 473; Hunt 689; Nissen BBI 2350; Pritzel 2007; Stafleu & Cowan TL2 1290.
#17309$55,000.00
 DODART, Denis (1634-1707), and Nicolas ROBERT (1614-1685)
[Estampes pour servir l'histoire des plantes]
Paris: [circa 1786). 2 volumes, broadsheet (21 7/16 x 15 7/16 inches). Engraved throughout, without title and text (as issued). Frontispiece of the first meeting of the "Académie royale des sciences" by and after Sebastien le Clerc, 319 engraved plates by Nicolas Robert, Abraham Bosse and Louis de Chatillon after Nicolas Robert and de Chatillon, with occasional engraved additions and alterations by Jean Marchant, all numbered in pencil, 16 without captions. (Some occasional light browning and staining, plate 32 in first vol. with rust mark in center of image). Contemporary marbled calf gilt, covers with double-fillet borders and centrally-placed royal arms of Louis XVI of France, expertly rebacked to style, spines in eight compartments with raised bands, bands highlighted with roll-tool, red morocco lettering-piece in the second compartment, blue morocco lettering-piece in the third, the other compartments with decorative repeat pattern of large central flower spray tool surrounded by small tools and foliage corner-pieces rebacked, expert repairs to corners. Provenance: Earls of Derby (Knowsley Hall, armorial bookplate).
'The finest collection of flower engravings made during the seventeenth century' (Blunt).
'The Recueil des plantes was judged by the master flower painter Gerard van Spaendonck to be the most beautiful botanical work ever published.' ('Oak Spring Flora')
'Numerous authorities agree that [the plates to this work] rank among the best botanical engravings ever produced' (Hunt, 'Printmaking in the Service of Botany')
This very rare complete collection of engravings is by or after Nicolas Robert, the greatest botanical artist of the seventeenth century. The work was never published or offered for public sale, and the present copy was given as a Royal gift in about 1780. It includes the important frontispiece (not always present), by and after Sebastien Le Clerc, of Louis XIV visiting a meeting of the Académie Royale des Sciences and is bound in a binding bearing the French Royal arms. Subsequently it was in the great natural history library of the Earls of Derby at Knowsley Hall. The plates form a valuable and unique record of plants in cultivation in the second half of the seventeenth century.
The artist:
'Nicolas Robert (1614-85) must ever be remembered for three important contributions to botanical art: - for the famous Guirlande de Julie, for his flower paintings on vellum for Gaston, and Louis XIV; and for [the present work] - the finest collection of flower engravings made during the seventeenth century.
Robert's name first occurs as an illustrator of a small book of etchings of flowers entitled Fiori Diversi (Rome: 1640). His father was an inn-keeper at Langres, and the circumstances in which the young man made the journey to Italy remain unknown; but he must already have made some reputation for himself, for the following year he was chosen to illustrate a book of unusual interest and importance, the Guirlande de Julie...
Before [the baron de] Sainte-Maure set out for the wars, he had given his fiancée [the witty, beautiful and virtuous Julie d'Angennes, daughter of Madame de Rambouillet], as a birthday gift, an album of flowers - the chef d'oeuvre de la galanterie known as the "Guirlande de Julie." In the making of it, Nicolas Robert had collaborated with Jarry, the greatest calligrapher of the day...
Overnight Robert found himself famous; shortly afterwards, when Gaston d'Orléans was seeking a painter to make a permanent record of his collection, his eye naturally fell upon the young painter of the celebrated Guirlande.
To form a true impression of the diversity and brilliance of Robert's talent as a painter, it is necessary to study his work at the Muséum of the Jardin des Plantes... Outline is reduced to a bare minimum, and, as in medieval illumination, the neutral tone of the shadows is often disregarded. Form and texture are suggested by an infinity of finely hatched strokes... At the time of Gaston's death in 1660, the collection filled five large folio volumes. The majority of the drawings are flowers, though there are also many birds and other objects of natural history.
Appointed in 1664 to the post of "peintre ordinaire de Sa Majesté pour la miniature," Robert now continued in Paris and at Versailles the work he had begun at Blois.... It is believed to have been the great Scottish botanist Robert Morison (1620-1683), a Royalist in exile from 1650 to 1660, Superintendent of Gastons' gardens at Blois, who first persuaded Nicolas Robert to interest himself in scientific botanical illustration. In the years spent at Blois, the latter had learned to become more than a mere purveyor of floral beauty; it was fitting, therefore, when the newly founded Académie Royale des Sciences decided to publish a History of Plants, that he should be chosen as its chief illustrator.' (Wilfred Blunt & William T. Stearn, The Art of Botanical Illustration, 1994, pp.118-121).
The genesis of the work:
'The original idea for this encyclopaedic undertaking was conceived by Perrault and the proposal was enthusiastically received by Colbert, minister to Louis XIV, although it appears to have actually begun to take shape when the botanist Denis Dodart (1634-1707) joined the Académie in 1673. His work, Mémoires pour servir à l'Histore des Plantes, which was intended to form the introductory volume to this series, appeared in 1675 and contained thirty-nine plates by Robert. In it Dodart lamented the fact that none of the engravings could be in colour, but at least, he assured the reader, all the illustrations in the new series would be drawn directly from life, the artist making every effort to present the plants in their actual dimensions.' (Lucia Tongiorgi Tomasi, An Oak Spring Flora, 1997, p.168). Part of the original intention had been that the engravings should accompany text based on the latest chemical, medical and botanical analysis of the species depicted: this text was never published.
The engravings:
'Putting to one side his regular activity of flower painting on vellum in order to concentrate on this project, Robert managed to produce an enormous number of engravings [but at the time of his death the work was incomplete]... The Recueil des plantes was judged by the master flower painter Gerard van Spaendonck to be the most beautiful botanical work ever published. Most of the engravings show the plants in flower, complete with their roots, and many are accompanied by enlarged drawings of certain details. This work was clearly the result of a close collaboration between the scientist and artist, both seeking to portray the plant as accurately as possible. The plates engraved by Robert are instantly distinguishable by the lightness of his touch and by the sensitive modulation of the various tones of grey and black in the leaves and flowers' (Lucia Tongiorgi Tomasi, An Oak Spring Flora, 1997, pp. 168-170). He was however ably assisted by both Abraham Bosse (1602-1676), whose wide experience of engraving would have been invaluable to Robert, and Louis de Chatillon (1639-1734), who continued the work after Robert's death in 1684 - Blunt praised Chastillon's engravings for their 'exquisite delicacy'.
Printing history:
c.1685: earliest issue, printed at about the time of Robert's death to provide an example of "work in progress" to the Académie Royale des Sciences, includes about 272 plates
1701: first issue of the completed series of 319 plates: [Estampes pour servir à l'histoire des plantes]
1719: Jean Marchant added details of plant structures to the plates, based upon Tournefort and Vaillant, with occasional changes of plant names
1701-c.1786: very occasional collections of the plates were printed and given as gifts, numbers of plates in these collections vary.
c. 1786: the royal gift issue published, with the addition of the important frontispiece by Sebastien le Clerc: the first ever image of the meeting of a scientific society.
1788: second issue of the completed series of 319 plates published, under the title Receuil des plantes gravées par ordre du Louis XIV.
Census of copies sold at auction:
Circa 1685 issue:
The de Belder copy 1 (with 271 plates) sold at Sotheby's London 28 April 1987, lot 307 (this copy was subsequently resold at Christie's New York 4 June 1997, lot 37)
Circa 1786 issue:
The de Belder copy 2 (with 319 plates) sold at Sotheby's London 28 April 1987, lot 308 (this copy was subsequently resold at Christie's New York 4 June 1997, lot 38)
Christie's London 11 November 1998, lot 95 (frontispiece and 319 plates)
References:
BM(NH) IV, p.1515; Brunet IV.1325; Bultingaire Les Velins du Museum d'Histore Naturelle de Paris [n.d.]; Great Flower Books (1990) p.91; Hunt 'Flora Portrayed' (1985) p.21; Hunt 'Printmaking in the Service of Botany' (1986) 16; Laissus & Monseigny 'Les Plantes du Roi' in Revue d'histoire des sciences, XXII, fasc. 3,pp.193-2346; Nissen BBI 533 & 504; Rix The Art of the Plant World p.61; Tomasi An Oak Spring Flora 43
#15131$240,000.00
 DODART, Denis (1634-1707), and Nicolas ROBERT (1614-1685)
[Estampes pour servir l'histoire des plantes]
Paris: [circa 1719-1786]. Broadsheets (20 5/16 x 15 1/4 inches). Engraved throughout, without title and text (as issued). 160 engraved plates (numbered in ink 1-13, 15-159 with two bis. plates) by Nicolas Robert, Abraham Bosse and Louis de Chatillon after Nicolas Robert and de Chatillon, with occasional engraved additions and alterations by Jean Marchant, all with early numbering in ink, most with Linnaean bi-nomials added in ink or pencil. (Light darkening or dust soiling, last 20 plates with marginal ink stain). Contemporary mottled calf, expertly rebacked to style with spine in seven compartments with raised bands, red morocco lettering-piece in the second, the others with elaborate repeat decoration in gilt composed from a large centrally-placed flower-spray tool encircled by small star and flower-head tools, with cornerpieces of stylized foliage (neat expert repairs to edges of boards and corners).
'The finest collection of flower engravings made during the seventeenth century' (Blunt).
'The Recueil des plantes was judged by the master flower painter Gerard van Spaendonck to be the most beautiful botanical work ever published.' ('Oak Spring Flora')
'Numerous authorities agree that [the plates to this work] rank among the best botanical engravings ever produced' (Hunt, 'Printmaking in the Service of Botany')
This very rare selection of engravings are by or after Nicolas Robert, the greatest botanical artist of the seventeenth century. The work was never published or offered for public sale, and the present album copy was probably given as a Royal gift some time between 1719 and about 1780. The binding would perhaps suggest a date closer to 1719. The plates form a valuable and unique record of a selection of the plants in cultivation in the second half of the seventeenth century.
'Nicolas Robert (1614-85) must ever be remembered for three important contributions to botanical art: - for the famous Guirlande de Julie, for his flower paintings on vellum for Gaston and Louis XIV; and for [the present work] - the finest collection of flower engravings made during the seventeenth century. Robert's name first occurs as an illustrator of a small book of etchings of flowers entitled Fiori Diversi (Rome: 1640). His father was an inn-keeper at Langres, and the circumstances in which the young man made the journey to Italy remain unknown; but he must already have made some reputation for himself, for the following year he was chosen to illustrate a book of unusual interest and importance, the Guirlande de Julie... Before [the baron de] Sainte-Maure set out for the wars, he had given his fiancée [the witty, beautiful and virtuous Julie d'Angennes, daughter of Madame de Rambouillet], as a birthday gift, an album of flowers - the chef d'oeuvre de la galanterie known as the "Guirlande de Julie." In the making of it, Nicolas Robert had collaborated with Jarry, the greatest calligrapher of the day... Overnight Robert found himself famous; shortly afterwards, when Gaston d'Orléans was seeking for a painter to make a permanent record of his collection, his eye naturally fell upon the young painter of the celebrated Guirlande.
To form a true impression of the diversity and brilliance of Robert's talent as a painter, it is necessary to study his work at the Muséum of the Jardin des Plantes... Outline is reduced to a bare minimum, and, as in medieval illumination, the neutral tone of the shadows is often disregarded. Form and texture are suggested by an infinity of finely hatched strokes... At the time of Gaston's death in 1660, the collection filled five large folio volumes. The majority of the drawings are flowers, though there are also many birds and other objects of natural history. Appointed in 1664 to the post of "peintre ordinaire de Sa Majesté pour la miniature," Robert now continued in Paris and at Versailles the work he had begun at Blois.... It is believed to have been the great Scottish botanist Robert Morison (1620-1683), a Royalist in exile from 1650 to 1660, Superintendent of Gastons' gardens at Blois, who first persuaded Nicolas Robert to interest himself in scientific botanical illustration. In the years spent at Blois, the latter had learned to become more than a mere purveyor of floral beauty; it was fitting, therefore, when the newly founded Académie Royale des Sciences decided to publish a History of Plants, that he should be chosen as its chief illustrator.' (Wilfred Blunt & William T. Stearn: The Art of Botanical Illustration, 1994, pp.118-121).
'The original idea for this encyclopaedic undertaking was conceived by Perrault and the proposal was enthusiastically received by Colbert, minister to Louis XIV, although it appears to have actually begun to take shape only when the botanist Denis Dodart (1634-1707) joined the Académie in 1673. His work, Mémoires pour servir à l'Histore des Plantes, which was intended to form the introductory volume to this series, appeared in 1675 and contained thirty-nine plates by Robert. In it Dodart lamented the fact that none of the engravings could be in colour, but at least, he assured the reader, all the illustrations in the new series would be drawn directly from life, the artist making every effort to present the plants in their actual dimensions.' (Lucia Tongiorgi Tomasi: An Oak Spring Flora, 1997, p.168). Part of the original intention had been that the engravings should accompany text based on the latest chemical, medical and botanical analysis of the species depicted: this text was never published.
'Putting to one side his regular activity of flower painting on vellum in order to concentrate on this project, Robert managed to produce an enormous number of engravings [but at the time of his death the work was incomplete]... The Recueil des plantes was judged by the master flower painter Gerard van Spaendonck to be the most beautiful botanical work ever published. Most of the engravings show the plants in flower, complete with their roots, and many are accompanied by enlarged drawings of certain details. This work was clearly the result of a close collaboration between the scientist and artist, both seeking to portray the plant as accurately as possible. The plates engraved by Robert are instantly distinguishable by the lightness of his touch and by the sensitive modulation of the various tones of grey and black in the leaves and flowers' (Lucia Tongiorgi Tomasi: An Oak Spring Flora, 1997, pp. 168-170). He was however ably assisted by both Abraham Bosse (1602-1676), whose wide experience of engraving would have been invaluable to Robert, and Louis de Chatillon (1639-1734), who continued the work after Robert's death in 1684 - Blunt praised Chastillon's engravings for their 'exquisite delicacy'.
Printing history:
c.1685: earliest issue, printed at about the time of Robert's death to provide an example of "work in progress" to the Académie Royale des Sciences, includes up to 272 plates
1701: first issue of the completed series of 319 plates: [Estampes pour servir à l'histoire des plantes]
1719: Jean Marchant added details of plant structures to the plates, based upon Tournefort and Vaillant, with occasional changes of plant names
1701-c.1786: very occasional collections of the plates were printed and given as gifts, numbers of plates in these collections vary.
c. 1786: the royal gift issue published, with the addition of the important frontispiece by Sebastien le Clerc: the first ever image of the meeting of a scientific society.
1788: second issue of the completed series of 319 plates published, under the title Receuil des plantes gravées par ordre du Louis XIV.
Census of copies sold at auction:
Circa 1685 issue:
The de Belder copy 1 (with 271 plates) sold at Sotheby's London 28 April 1987, lot 307 (this copy was subsequently resold at Christie's New York 4 June 1997, lot 37)
Circa 1786 issue:
The de Belder copy 2 (with 319 plates) sold at Sotheby's London 28 April 1987, lot 308 (this copy was subsequently resold at Christie's New York 4 June 1997, lot 38)
Christie's London 11 November 1998, lot 95 (frontispiece and 319 plates).
References:
BM(NH) IV, p.1515; Brunet IV.1325; Bultingaire Les Velins du Museum d'Histore Naturelle de Paris [n.d.]; Great Flower Books (1990) p.91; Hunt 'Flora Portrayed' (1985) p.21; Hunt 'Printmaking in the Service of Botany' (1986) 16; Laissus & Monseigny 'Les Plantes du Roi' in Revue d'histore des sciences, XXII, fasc. 3, pp.193-236; Nissen BBI 533 & 504; Rix The Art of the Plant World p.61; Tomasi An Oak Spring Flora 43
#15132$60,000.00
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835 -1915)
A Monograph of the Bucerotidae, or Family of the Hornbills
[New York]: printed by Taylor & Francis of London, published for the subscribers by the author, 1877-1882. 1 volume bound from the ten original parts, folio (14 3/4 x 11 1/8 inches). 60 lithographic plates printed by M. & N.Hanhart (comprising: 57 plates by and after John Gerrard Keulemans, all hand-coloured by Mr. Smith, 3 uncoloured plates by and after Joseph Smit). Near-contemporary green half morocco, spine in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in gilt in the second and third, date in gilt at foot of spine, original brown paper wrappers to all ten parts bound at the back, top edge gilt.
A fine copy of the first edition of this 'comprehensive treatment of the entire family of hornbills' (Zimmer) from the one of the best known American ornithologists of the second half of the nineteenth century, with illustrations by Keulemans, the most popular ornithological artist of the period.
This is the important first monograph on this widely scattered family of extraordinary birds. "The Bucerotidae are pretty equally divided at the present day between the Ethiopian and Oriental Regions, the first having twenty-seven and the latter twenty-nine species, while but a few... are scattered about the islands of the Malay archipelago" (introduction). Hornbills are extraordinary not only for their physical appearance but also for their behavior - the most noteworthy shared trait amongst the species is the male's habit of "enclosing the female in the hollow of some tree, firmly fastening her in by a wall of mud, and keeping her close prisoner until the eggs are hatched" (introduction). The male will feed the female through a slit in the wall whilst she incubates the eggs. She will only break through the wall of mud and leave the nest once the young have hatched, at which point the wall is rebuilt and remains in place until the young are ready to fly. The bizarre beauty of this species is here ably captured by Keulemans highly accurate and beautifully observed plates. Keulemans was born in Rotterdam, Holland, in 1842, but worked and lived chiefly in England, working on most of the important ornithological monographs and periodicals published between about 1870 and his death in London in 1912. He was 'undoubtedly the most popular bird artist of his day as well as being the most prolific. He was gifted with a superb sense of draughtsman-ship and revealed his considerable versatility in capturing the significant subtleties of color, form, and expression in the birds... represented in his various illustrations' (Feathers to brush p. 47)
BM(NH) I,p.522; Fine Bird Books (1990) p.95; T. Keulemans & J. Coldewey, Feathers to brush... John Gerrard Keulemans, 1982, p.61; Nissen IVB 297; Wood p.331; Zimmer p.207
#16801$30,000.00
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
A Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of the Pheasants
New York: published for the Author, [1870]-1872. 2 volumes, folio (23 1/2 x 18 inches). 2pp. subscriber's list. 79 fine hand-colored lithographic plates (including 1 folding plate of feathers) after Joseph Wolf by Joseph Smit (58) or John Gerrard Keulemans (21), printed by M. & N. Hanhart and P.W.M. Trap, coloured by J.D. White, 2 uncolored lithographic plates by and after Smit, on India paper mounted. (Expert neat repairs to titles, the lower margin of the folding plate of feathers, and the text leaf in vol. II describing the Lady Amherst's pheasant). Contemporary red morocco gilt by Bickers & Son, covers with elaborate gilt border composed from fillets, decorative rolls and stylized foliage tools at cornerpieces, spines in seven compartments with double raised bands, lettered in the second and fourth, the others with overall decoration made up from massed small tools, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, g.e.
The most splendid of Elliot's great monographs, and a rare American contribution to this elegant class of books.
Issued in 6 parts between June 1870 and October 1872, A Monograph of the Phasianidae is described by Sitwell as "the equal in every way to any work by Gould." The magnificent size and beautiful coloring of the plates after Joseph Wolf's drawings reflect the importance which Elliot attached to the Phasianidae. Of all the families in the ornithological system, he regarded it as the one most vital to the human race, "containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic poultry met with throughout the civilized world." He generously dedicated the work "To my friend Joseph Wolf", calling his "unrivalled talent...its chief attraction."
Anker 130; Fine Birds Books (1990), p. 95; T. Keulemans & J. Coldewey Feathers to brush... John Gerrard Keulemans 1982, p.61; Nissen IVB 295; Wood p. 331; Zimmer p. 206.
#16060$170,000.00
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
A Monograph of the Pittidae, or Family of Ant-Thrushes
London: printed by Taylor & Francis for Bernard Quaritch, April 1893-January 1895. 5 original parts in one volume, folio (22 7/8 x 15 inches). 51 hand-coloured lithographed plates (comprising: 34 printed by the Mintern Brothers [33 by and after William Hart, 1 by J.G. Keulemans after Hart], 17 printed by Bowen & Co. of Philadelphia, by C.F. Tholey and others after Elliot [12], Paul Louis Oudart [3], Maupart [1] and 1 unsigned). Expertly bound to style in green half morocco gilt, incorporating contemporary pale green cloth-covered boards, spine in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in the second and fourth compartments, repeat decoration in gilt in the others, comb-marbled endpapers, original upper wrappers to the original parts bound at the back, t.e.g.
A fine copy of the second edition of Elliot's first great monograph, with the text completely rewritten and twenty more plates than the first.
'It is not often that one returns to his first love and finds her, after many years, more beautiful than ever, as has been my experience in the present instance' (preface): Elliot's first major work was published between 1861 and 1863 with plates of just 31 species. For the present edition the text was rewritten, and Elliot commissioned William Hart to produce 34 new plates (redrawing 14 of the original plates and adding 20 drawings of new species).
The Pittidae are usually ground-dwelling and insectivorous, and are commonly known as pitta, ground thrushes or ant thrushes. They generally have variously-coloured plummage with three or more colours, such as blue, green, crimson, yellow, purple, and black. They are most abundant in the East Indies (Borneo and New Guinea in particular), but are also found in Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Cambodia, Africa, and Australia
BM(NH) I,p.522; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990) p.95; T. Keulemans & J. Coldewey, Feathers to brush... John Gerrard Keulemans, 1982, p.61; cf. Nissen IVB 292; Wood p.332; Zimmer p.208
#15863$37,500.00
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
Argusianus Grayii [Argus]
New York: [1870]-1872. Hand-coloured lithograph after Joseph Wolf by J.G. Keulemans, printed by P.W.M. Trap. Very good condition. Image size (including text): 16 1/4 x 22 3/4 inches. Sheet size: 18 x 23 3/8 inches.
A beautiful image from the most splendid of Elliot's great monographs, 'A Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of the Pheasants'.
The magnificent size and beautiful colouring of the plates after Joseph Wolf's charcoal drawings reflect the importance which Elliot attached to the Phasianidae. Of all the families in the ornithological system, he regarded it as the one most vital to the human race, "containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic poultry met with throughout the civilized world."
Cf. Anker 130; Fine Birds Books (1990), p. 95; Nissen IVB 295; Wood p. 331; Zimmer p. 206
#8680$5,500.00
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
Crossoptilon Thibetanum [Hodgson's Eared Pheasant]
New York: [1870]-1872. Hand-coloured lithograph after Joseph Wolf by J. Smit, printed by P.W.M. Trap. Very good condition. Image size (including text): 15 1/4 x 20 1/4 inches. Sheet size: 18 x 23 3/8 inches.
A beautiful image from the most splendid of Elliot's great monographs, 'A Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of the Pheasants'.
The magnificent size and beautiful colouring of the plates after Joseph Wolf's charcoal drawings reflect the importance which Elliot attached to the Phasianidae. Of all the families in the ornithological system, he regarded it as the one most vital to the human race, "containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic poultry met with throughout the civilized world."
Cf. Anker 130; Fine Birds Books (1990), p. 95; Nissen IVB 295; Wood p. 331; Zimmer p. 206
#8681$5,500.00
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
Euplocamus Nobilis [Noble Pheasant]
New York: [1870]-1872. Hand-coloured lithograph after Joseph Wolf by J. Smit, printed by M. & N. Hanhart. Very good condition. Image size (including text): 15 1/4 x 20 7/8 inches. Sheet size: 18 x 23 1/4 inches.
A beautiful image from the most splendid of Elliot's great monographs, 'A Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of the Pheasants'.
The magnificent size and beautiful colouring of the plates after Joseph Wolf's charcoal drawings reflect the importance which Elliot attached to the Phasianidae. Of all the families in the ornithological system, he regarded it as the one most vital to the human race, "containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic poultry met with throughout the civilized world."
Cf. Anker 130; Fine Birds Books (1990), p. 95; Nissen IVB 295; Wood p. 331; Zimmer p. 206
#8678$5,500.00
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
Gallus Sonneratii [Grey Junglefowl]
New York: [1870]-1872. Hand-coloured lithograph after Joseph Wolf by J. Smit and J.G. Keulmans, printed by P.W.M. Trap. Very good condition. Image size (including text): 15 3/4 x 20 1/2 inches. Sheet size: 18 x 23 1/4 inches.
A beautiful image from the most splendid of Elliot's great monographs, 'A Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of the Pheasants'.
The magnificent size and beautiful colouring of the plates after Joseph Wolf's charcoal drawings reflect the importance which Elliot attached to the Phasianidae. Of all the families in the ornithological system, he regarded it as the one most vital to the human race, "containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic poultry met with throughout the civilized world."
Cf. Anker 130; Fine Birds Books (1990), p. 95; Nissen IVB 295; Wood p. 331; Zimmer p. 206
#8676$5,500.00
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
Phasianus Colchicus [Common or Ringneck Pheasant]
New York: [1870]-1872. Hand-coloured lithograph after Joseph Wolf by J. Smit, printed by M. & N. Hanhart. Excellent condition. Image size (including text): 15 1/4 x 20 1/2 inches. Sheet size: 17 7/8 x 23 1/4 inches.
A beautiful image from the most splendid of Elliot's great monographs, 'A Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of the Pheasants'.
The magnificent size and beautiful colouring of the plates after Joseph Wolf's charcoal drawings reflect the importance which Elliot attached to the Phasianidae. Of all the families in the ornithological system, he regarded it as the one most vital to the human race, "containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic poultry met with throughout the civilized world."
Cf. Anker 130; Fine Birds Books (1990), p. 95; Nissen IVB 295; Wood p. 331; Zimmer p. 206
#8172$6,500.00
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
Polyplectron Germaini [Germain's Peacock Pheasant]
New York: [1870]-1872. Hand-coloured lithograph after Joseph Wolf by J. Smit, printed by P.W.M. Trap. Very good condition. Image size (including text): 15 1/4 x 20 7/8 inches. Sheet size: 18 x 23 1/4 inches.
A beautiful image from the most splendid of Elliot's great monographs, 'A Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of the Pheasants'.
The magnificent size and beautiful colouring of the plates after Joseph Wolf's charcoal drawings reflect the importance which Elliot attached to the Phasianidae. Of all the families in the ornithological system, he regarded it as the one most vital to the human race, "containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic poultry met with throughout the civilized world."
Cf. Anker 130; Fine Birds Books (1990), p. 95; Nissen IVB 295; Wood p. 331; Zimmer p. 206
#8679$5,500.00
 EVELYN, John (1620-1706)
Sylva, or a discourse of Forest-Trees, and the propagation of timber in His Majesties dominions... Terra, a philosophical essay of Earth. being a lecture in course. To which is annexed Pomona: or, an appendix concerning Fruit-Trees in relation to Cider ... also Kalendarium Hortense; or, the Gard'ners Almanac...
London: printed for John Martyn, 1679. 4 parts in one volume, folio (12 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches). Front blank, general title and one section title in red and black. 6 illustrations (5 engraved [one of these full-page], 1 wood-cut). Near-contemporary speckled calf, covers paneled in blind, spine in six compartments with raised bands and ruled in gilt, red morocco lettering-piece in the second compartment. Provenance: Viscount Downe (early armorial bookplate).
A fine copy of the third edition of 'the most important book to appear during the seventeenth century on forestry' (Henrey), here including Evelyn's 'Terra' for the first time
'Arboriculture was an endless source of interest and delight to Evelyn. Throughout his life he was adding to his knowledge on the subject, from his own experience in the planting of trees, from observations made during his travels at home and abroad, and from other men's writings. From 1664 until 1706 Evelyn published four editions of Sylva and on each occasion the work was expanded. It contains an enormous amount of information concerning the cultivation of the various kinds of forest trees, and the uses of their timber, together with facts and anecdotes obtained from books, both classical and contemporary. The work was a success from the start. Its publication gave a great stimulus to planting in Britain, Charles II setting the example with the replenishing of the Royal forests' (Henrey I, p.107)
Cf. Bradley Bibliography IV, p.107; Henrey I,134; Keynes Evelyn 42
#15953$1,850.00
 FURBER, Robert (c.1674-1756), [and Richard BRADLEY (1688-1732)]
The Flower Garden Display'd, in above Four Hundred Curious Representations of the most Beautiful Flowers; ... With the Description and History of each Plant and the Method of their Culture;... Very Useful, Not only for the Curious in Gardening, but the Prints likewise for Painters, Carvers, Japaners &c. also for the Ladies, as Patterns for Working, and Painting in Water-Colours; or Furniture for the Closet... To which is Added, A Flower-Garden for Gentlemen and Ladies; being The Art of raising Flowers without any Trouble, to blow in full Perfection in the Depth of Winter... also, The Method of raising Salletting, Cucumbers, Melons, &c. at any Time of Year. As it is practised by Sir Thomas More, Bart.
London: printed for R. Montagu, J. Brindley and C. Corbett, 1734. Quarto (9 15/16 x 7 3/8 inches). Title in red and black, one page publisher's advertisements at end. Hand coloured engraved frontispiece, 12 hand coloured engraved plates of flowers in vases, by James Smith after Pieter Casteels. (Small worm-track through lower margins, old browning with occasional repairs to a few leaves). Expertly bound to style in half 18th-century diced russia with marbled paper-covered boards, the flat spine divided into six compartments by gilt fillets and a Greek-key roll, red morocco lettering-piece in the second compartment, decorative repeat pattern of small tools and stylized foliage surrounding a larger flower spray tool. Provenance: Elizabeth Oldershaw (inscription noting the gift of the book from her uncle Henry Fleming, dated 1760).
Third edition, the second in quarto, with the addition of a section on hot-house gardening. This celebrated 18th-century nurseryman's catalogue is an important work both artistically and in the history of gardening, giving a contemporary account of the plants that were fashionable in the first half of the 18th century.
The plates are reduced from those in Furber's Twelve Months of Flowers published in 1730. This folio work `was conceived as a flower catalogue, but its commercial function was adroitly veiled and the artistic quality of its illustrations distinguishes it from the more modest pamphlets generally produced by floriculturists.. in this period' (Oak Spring Flora p.143). The plates are after Pieter Casteels (1684-1749), an artist of high renown. `Despite their great profusion, every flower in these compositions is readily identifiable. They range from native species to exotic specimens from the Americas [including a number received from Mark Catesby]' (op. cit. p.146).
Text was added to the present edition, as is explained in the introduction, because `we thought a particular description of the flowers, and the nature of their culture, which could not be express'd in the plates themselves, might hope for the same success... That to know only the names of the flowers, and to be ignorant of their culture, might occasion a continual expence in procuring such rarities, which one day, might live with them, and, for want of this necessary knowledge, might perish the next'
Dunthorne 114; Great Flower Books (1990) p.80; Henrey III.713; Hunt 493; Johnston Cleveland's Treasures from the World of Botanical Literature p.65; Massachusetts Horticultural Society p.100; Nissen BBI 677; cf. L. Tongiorgi Tomasi An Oak Spring Flora 37
#13447$12,500.00
 FURBER, Robert (circa 1674-1756, publisher) - After Pieter CASTEELS (1684-1749)
[Twelve Months of Flowers]
Kensington: Robert Furber, 1730[-1732]. Folio (24 3/8 x 19 1/4 inches). Mounted on guards. Engraved throughout, list of subscribers (sheet size: 22 5/8 x 18 5/8 inches) with hand-coloured engraved decorative border, 12 hand-coloured plates by Henry Fletcher after Casteels (approx. sheet size: 21 2/4 x 17 3/4 inches). Expertly bound to style in 18th-century diced russia, covers with decorative roll at outer border, the flat spine divided into ten compartments with a greek-key roll flanked by pairs of fillets, red morocco lettering-piece in the second compartment, repeat decoration of a large flower-spray tool surrounded by small tools.
Rare complete first edition of this ground-breaking and highly decorative flower catalogue: an incomparable record of the most fashionable flowering plants of the early eighteenth century, here with the title/subscribers' page and fine contemporary hand-colouring.
Furber was a nurseryman from Kensington, then on the outskirts of London. Twelve Months of Flowers presented almost 400 different flowering species, grouped according to the month in which they flower. Reflecting in style the grand manner of the Baroque period, the flowers are arranged in elaborate bouquets and placed in elegant urns. Next to each flower appears a number, which corresponds to a name in the key printed at the bottom of the plate on either side of a cartouche inscribed with the name of one of the months of the year.
"Twelve Months was conceived as a flower catalogue, but its commercial function was adroitly veiled and the artistic quality of its illustrations distinguishes it from the more modest pamphlets generally produced by floriculturalists, including Furber himself, in this period. For the work, Furber sought the collaboration of Pieter Casteels (1684-1749), an artist from Antwerp who had achieved great renown throughout England for his paintings of birds and flowers, which decorated the walls of many aristocratic homes. Casteels designed the series of twelve floral plates, which were then engraved by Henry Fletcher, an artist well known for his engravings of famous paintings and portraits. The plates were designed to be afterwards coloured by hand, as they are in the present and the Oak Spring copy" (Oak Spring Flora pp.145-146). The leaf which precedes the plates is engraved and printed on the recto only with a combination of subscriber's list (with a list of over 430 wealthy subscribers), dedication and title page (with the title of the work and the names of the authors). This page is framed by a wide border including a number of the showier flowering plants, including tulips, irises and many auriculas, a very popular flower at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Many new species were cultivated and, like the tulip a century earlier, named after a famous contemporary or classical figure, such as the "Earl of Derby", "Artemesia" or "Ascanius."
One of the remarkable features of each of the twelve plates, is that despite "their great profusion, every flower in these compositions is readily identifiable. They range from native species to exotic specimens from America: Furber records that he received various specimens from Mark Catesby, 'a very curious gentleman from Virginia' ..." (op. cit.).
Dunthorne 113; Great Flower Books (1990) p.95; Henrey II, pp.343-346 & III.733; Nissen BBI 674; Oak Spring Flora 37
#16729$65,000.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881) and Richard Bowdler SHARPE (1847-1909)
Erythrotriorchis Dorlae [Goshawk]
London: Taylor and Francis for Henry Sotheran & Co., 1875-88. Hand-coloured lithograph by Gould and William Hart, printed by the Mintern Brothers. Very good condition apart from a few light foxing marks. Sheet size: 21 5/8 x 14 3/8 inches. 1 7/8" Curly Maple frame, with dark amber finish. Frame size: 30 1/8 x 22 3/4 inches.
A beautiful print from Gould's "Birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia."
This plate is from one of Gould's most exotic works, The Birds of New Guinea, which consists of an extensive series of beautiful plates of birds of paradise, bower birds, parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, kingfishers and hawk-owls. It is his last full-scale work, Gould prepared the first twelve of the twenty-five parts, and the work was finished posthumously by Sharpe. A broadside "Address to the Subscribers" of The Birds of New Guinea issued by Sotheran and Co. announced: "With respect...to the Birds of New Guinea, we have the pleasure to announce that, having purchased the entire stock and copyrights of Mr. Gould's Magnificent series of Works, we have made immediate preparations for completing those left unfinished; and having retained the services of Mr. Gould's entire staff of artists and colourists, we are confident that the work will be as well performed as during the life of the Author. Mr. Hart...will superintend the whole of the illustrations as heretofore; while the letterpress will be edited by Mr. Bowdler Sharpe, of the British Museum, whose name will be sufficient assurance that nothing will be wanting in this department."
Anker 181; Fine Bird Books (1990), p.102; Nissen, IVB, 373; Sauer, 27; Wood, p.365; Zimmer, pp.262-263.
#13562$1,950.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881) and Richard Bowdler SHARPE (1847-1909)
Harpyopsis Novae Guineae [New Guinea Eagle]
London: Taylor and Francis for Henry Sotheran & Co., 1875-88. Hand-coloured lithograph by Gould and William Hart, printed by the Mintern Brothers. Very good condition. Sheet size: 21 5/8 x 14 3/8 inches. 1 7/8" Curly Maple frame, with dark amber finish. Frame size: 30 1/8 x 22 3/4 inches.
A beautiful print from Gould's "Birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia."
This plate is from one of Gould's most exotic works, The Birds of New Guinea, which consists of an extensive series of beautiful plates of birds of paradise, bower birds, parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, kingfishers, and hawk-owls. It is his last full-scale work. Gould prepared the first twelve of the twenty-five parts, and the work was finished posthumously by Sharpe. A broadside "Address to the Subscribers" of The Birds of New Guinea issued by Sotheran and Co. announced: "With respect...to the Birds of New Guinea, we have the pleasure to announce that, having purchased the entire stock and copyrights of Mr. Gould's Magnificent series of Works, we have made immediate preparations for completing those left unfinished; and having retained the services of Mr. Gould's entire staff of artists and colourists, we are confident that the work will be as well performed as during the life of the Author. Mr. Hart...will superintend the whole of the illustrations as heretofore; while the letterpress will be edited by Mr. Bowdler Sharpe, of the British Museum, whose name will be sufficient assurance that nothing will be wanting in this department."
Anker 181; Fine Bird Books (1990), p.102; Nissen, IVB, 373; Sauer, 27; Wood, p.365; Zimmer, pp.262-263.
#13561$1,950.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881) and Richard Bowdler SHARPE (1847-1909)
Seleucides Nigricans [Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise]
London: Taylor and Francis for Henry Sotheran & Co., 1875-88. Hand-coloured lithograph by Gould and William Hart, printed by the Mintern Brothers. Very good condition apart from some overall slight soiling. Sheet size: 22 x 15 1/8 inches.
A beautiful print from Gould's "Birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia."
This plate is from one of Gould's most exotic works, The Birds of New Guinea, which consists of an extensive series of beautiful plates of birds of paradise, bower birds, parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, kingfishers, and hawk-owls. This is the last of his full scale works. Gould prepared the first twelve of the twenty-five parts, and the work was finished posthumously by Sharpe. A broadside "Address to the Subscribers" of The Birds of New Guinea issued by Sotheran and Co. announced: "With respect...to the 'Birds of New Guinea', we have the pleasure to announce that, having purchased the entire stock and copyrights of Mr. Gould's Magnificent series of Works, we have made immediate preparations for completing those left unfinished; and having retained the services of Mr. Gould's entire staff of artists and colourists, we are confident that the work will be as well performed as during the life of the Author. Mr. Hart...will superintend the whole of the illustrations as heretofore; while the letterpress will be edited by Mr. Bowdler Sharpe, of the British Museum, whose name will be sufficient assurance that nothing will be wanting in this department."
Anker 181; Fine Bird Books (1990), p.102; Nissen IVB 373; Sauer 27; Wood p.365; Zimmer, pp. 262-263.
#9213$2,400.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881, publisher)
Cygnus ferus [The Whistling or Wild Swan]
[London: by the Author, 1862 - 1873]. Hand-coloured lithograph by J.Wolf and H.C.Richter, printed by Walter. Wove paper. Sheet size: 14 1/8 x 21 1/4 inches.
A beautiful image from John Gould's 'The Birds of Great Britain': 'A magnificent work with life-like portraits of birds of the British Isles'. (Wood)
This plate, from what Sacheverell Sitwell called 'The most popular of all his works' ('Fine Bird Books'), shows a new liveliness of treatment that is not present in Gould's earlier works. This is thanks to suggestions made by Joseph Wolf, who drew 57 of the plates and accompanied Gould on an ornithological tour of Scandinavia in 1856.
Gould's illustrations were all painstakingly coloured by hand, as he states in his Preface: "Many of the public are quite unaware how the colouring of these large plates is accomplished; and not a few believe that they are produced by some mechanical process or by chromo-lithography. This, however, is not the case; every sky with its varied tints and every feather of each bird were coloured by hand.
Cf.Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 102; cf. Nissen IVB 372; cf. Sauer 23; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p. 261.
#5596$2,750.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881, publisher)
Phasianus scintillans [Sparkling Pheasant]
[London: by the Author, 1850-1883]. Hand-coloured lithograph by J.Wolf and H.C.Richter, printed by Walter. Wove paper. Sheet size: 14 5/8 x 21 1/4 inches.
A fine image from John Gould's magnificent folio work 'The Birds of Asia'.
Gould notes that the chief glory of the breeding plummage of the male Sparkling Pheasant are 'the feathers of of the lower part of the back and upper tail-coverts', 'being perfect in their structure and most richly coloured'. He admits that at the time of the publication little was known of this subspecies, other than the two examples pictured were from Yokohama in Japan.
The intended geographical range of "The Birds of Asia" was enormous, and very much in keeping with the seemingly limitless self-belief of the 19th-century's best known ornithologist. In his all-encompassing work John Gould includes species from all corners of the eastern world, as Richard Bowdler Sharpe noted the work covers "Species from Palestine to the eastward, and from the Moluccas to the west". Gould chose to record the bird life from an area which, with the exception of the tropical areas of the American continent, includes the widest, and most colourful variety of bird life to be found anywhere in the world.
The present plate is from a large number of images documenting the pheasants of the region, one of the most beautiful and varied of all bird families.
Cf. Anker 178; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.102; cf. Nissen IVB 368; cf. Sauer 17; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p.258.
#5577$4,000.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
A Monograph of the Odontophorinae, or Partridges of America
London: Richard & John E. Taylor for the Author, November 1844 - March 1846 - November 1850. 3 original parts, folio (22 1/8 x 15 inches). 1p. list of subscribers, smaller format 1p. 'Prospectus' (17 1/2 x 11 3/8 inches) dated 1 November 1844 and 1p. 'Directions to the Binder' (11 1/4 x 9 inches) tipped in at front of parts I and III respectively. 32 hand-coloured lithographic plates by Gould and Henry Constantine Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. (Old light creasing to the 'Directions to the Binder' leaf). Original embossed cloth-backed oatmeal paper boards, the upper covers with letterpress titling and contents in black, modern dark green morocco-backed dark green cloth box, the 'spine' in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in the second and third, the others with elaborate repeat decoration in gilt built up from various small tools. Provenance: Arthur Wm. Young (inscription dated '29 March 1881' on the upper cover of part I).
A fine copy in the rare original parts of the first edition of Gould's fourth monograph, in which he considerably enlarged the number of recorded species of the American partridge family.
This set is as issued to an original (anonymous) subscriber: it is in original parts with the printed boards bearing individual publication dates and the subscriber's price of £2.10, and it contains both the Prospectus and 'Directions to the Binder.' The sheets retain their full size, and the colouring is very fresh. Besides the spectacular plates of American birds, this work is interesting for the light it throws on the all encompassing nature of science before specialization: Gould was inspired by the gift of an English Arctic explorer, received much useful information from a Scottish botanist and finally dedicated the work to the French ornithologist Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803-1857) the author of American Ornithology. In this Gould's fourth monograph, he considerably enlarged the number of recorded species of the American partridge family. Gould was persuaded to undertake this project "by the sight of the beautiful Callipepla Californica, presented to the Zoological Society of London by Captain Beechey, in 1830. The graceful actions and elegant deportment of these birds inspired me with a desire to become thoroughly acquainted with the entire group of which they form a part; this desire was even strengthened by the details furnished to me by the late celebrated traveller and botanist, Mr. David Douglas, respecting species seen by him in California, of the existence of which we had until then no idea ... In the course of my researches I have several times visited most of the public and many of the private collections of Europe, and have besides corresponded with various persons in America: the result is that I have had the pleasure of extending our knowledge of the group from eleven to no less than thirty-five species'. (Preface).
Anker 176; Nissen IVB 376; Sauer 13; Wood p.365; Zimmer p. 257.
#17291$32,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
A Monograph of the Odontophorinae, or Partridges of America
London: Richard & John E. Taylor for the Author, [November 1844 - March 1846 - November] 1850. Folio (21 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches). 1p. list of subscribers. 32 fine hand-coloured lithographed plates after Gould and H. C. Richter. Contemporary green morocco gilt by Clyde, covers with wide decorative border tooled in gilt and blind with fillets and decorative rolls, spine in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in the second and third, the others with repeat decoration in gilt made up from various small tools, stylized foliage tools and a large central rococco tool, gilt turn-ins, cream/yellow glazed endpapers, gilt edges, expert repairs to spine and extremities.
A fine copy of the first edition of Gould's fourth monograph, in which he considerably enlarged the number of recorded species of the American partridge family.
Besides the spectacular plates of American birds, this work is interesting for the light it throws on the all encompassing nature of science before specialization: Gould was inspired by the gift of an English Arctic explorer, received much useful information from a Scottish botanist and finally dedicated the work to the French ornithologist Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803-1857) the author of American Ornithology. In this, Gould's fourth monograph, he considerably enlarged the number of recorded species of the American partridge family. Gould was persuaded to undertake this project "by the sight of the beautiful Callipepla Californica, presented to the Zoological Society of London by Captain Beechey, in 1830. The graceful actions and elegant deportment of these birds inspired me with a desire to become thoroughly acquainted with the entire group of which they form a part; this desire was even strengthened by the details furnished to me by the late celebrated traveller and botanist, Mr. David Douglas, respecting species seen by him in California, of the existence of which we had until then no idea ... In the course of my researches I have several times visited most of the public and many of the private collections of Europe, and have besides corresponded with various persons in America: the result is that I have had the pleasure of extending our knowledge of the group from eleven to no less than thirty-five species.' (Preface).
Anker 176; Fine Bird Books (1990) p.102; Nissen IVB 376; Sauer 13; Wood p.365; Zimmer p. 257.
#18637$30,000.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Aix Galericulata [Mandarin Duck]
[London: by the Author, 1850-1883]. Hand-coloured lithograph by Joseph Wolf and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Wove paper. Very good condition apart from some minor soiling, a few light foxing marks, and slight discolouration of the paper due to age. Sheet size: 14 1/2 x 21 1/4 inches.
A fine image from John Gould's magnificent folio work "The Birds of Asia."
The male Mandarin duck is the most beautiful and unusual of all the ducks. Though they once flourished in eastern Asia, they are considered endangered in their native habitat. The Mandarin duck has been a popular import to Europe since the 17th century and has a small but adapted population there.
In traditional Chinese lore, the Mandarin is a symbol of conjugal affection and fidelity.
The intended geographical range of "The Birds of Asia" was enormous, and very much in keeping with the seemingly limitless self-belief of the 19th-century's best-known ornithologist. In his all-encompassing work John Gould includes species from all corners of the eastern world, as Richard Bowdler Sharpe noted the work covers "Species from Palestine to the eastward, and from the Moluccas to the west". Gould chose to record the bird life from an area which, with the exception of the tropical areas of the American continent, includes the widest, and most colourful variety of bird life to be found anywhere in the world.
Cf. Anker 178; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 102; cf. Nissen IVB 368; cf. Sauer 17; cf. Wood, p. 365; cf. Zimmer, p.258.
#14326$3,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Andigena Hypoglaucus [Pl. 38]
[Pl. 38]. [London: by the Author, 1854]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Sheet size: 21 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches.
A fine image from the expanded second edition of John Gould's "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans."
The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America, and some West Indian islands. The first time that any member of the family was described was by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in his "de la natural hystoria de las Indias." (Toledo, 1526, chapter 42) In 1555 Pierre Belon included an illustration of its beak in his "L'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux." (Paris, 1555, p. 184) Andre Thevet first used the name 'Toucan' with a long description, and a woodcut of a whole bird, in his "Singularitez de la France" (Paris, 1555, pp.88-90). The Latin name "Burhynchus" or "Ramphestes" (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ("Icones Avium", 1560, p.130), and Linnaeus later adopted Aldrovandus' corrupted form of the latter ("Ramphastos"), which is how the family was still recognized at the time of the publication of the present image.
The first edition of Gould's work, published in 1833-1835, represented the first concerted attempt to produce a monograph on the family. The present image is from the second expanded edition, which Gould considered to be a completely separate work: the plates were all re-drawn and the text re-written.
Cf. Anker 170; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 101; cf. Nissen IVB 378; cf. Sauer 3; cf. Wood, p. 364; cf. Zimmer, p. 252.
#14874$1,750.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Aulacoramphus Albivitta [Pl. 49]
[Pl. 49]. [London: by the Author, 1854]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Sheet size: 21 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches.
A fine image from the expanded second edition of John Gould's "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans."
The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America, and some West Indian islands. The first time that any member of the family was described was by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in his "de la natural hystoria de las Indias." (Toledo, 1526, chapter 42) In 1555 Pierre Belon included an illustration of its beak in his "L'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux." (Paris, 1555, p. 184) Andre Thevet first used the name 'Toucan' with a long description, and a woodcut of a whole bird, in his "Singularitez de la France" (Paris, 1555, pp.88-90). The Latin name "Burhynchus" or "Ramphestes" (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ("Icones Avium", 1560, p.130), and Linnaeus later adopted Aldrovandus' corrupted form of the latter ("Ramphastos"), which is how the family was still recognized at the time of the publication of the present image.
The first edition of Gould's work, published in 1833-1835, represented the first concerted attempt to produce a monograph on the family. The present image is from the second expanded edition, which Gould considered to be a completely separate work: the plates were all re-drawn and the text re-written.
Cf. Anker 170; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 101; cf. Nissen IVB 378; cf. Sauer 3; cf. Wood, p. 364; cf. Zimmer, p. 252.
#14866$1,750.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Aulacoramphus Caeruleicinctus
[London: by the Author, 1854]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Sheet size: 21 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches.
A fine image from the expanded second edition of John Gould's "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans."
The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America, and some West Indian islands. The first time that any member of the family was described was by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in his "de la natural hystoria de las Indias." (Toledo, 1526, chapter 42) In 1555 Pierre Belon included an illustration of its beak in his "L'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux." (Paris, 1555, p. 184) Andre Thevet first used the name 'Toucan' with a long description, and a woodcut of a whole bird, in his "Singularitez de la France" (Paris, 1555, pp.88-90). The Latin name "Burhynchus" or "Ramphestes" (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ("Icones Avium", 1560, p.130), and Linnaeus later adopted Aldrovandus' corrupted form of the latter ("Ramphastos"), which is how the family was still recognized at the time of the publication of the present image.
The first edition of Gould's work, published in 1833-1835, represented the first concerted attempt to produce a monograph on the family. The present image is from the second expanded edition, which Gould considered to be a completely separate work: the plates were all re-drawn and the text re-written.
Cf. Anker 170; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 101; cf. Nissen IVB 378; cf. Sauer 3; cf. Wood, p. 364; cf. Zimmer, p. 252.
#14781$2,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Aulacoramphus Cataneorhynchus [The Chestnut Groove-bill Toucanet]
[London: by the Author, 1854]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Wove paper. Very good condition apart from some overall light soiling. Sheet size: 21 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches.
A fine image from the expanded second edition of John Gould's "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans."
"The range of this subspecies extends from the Panama Canal southwards to north Colombia and Venezuela. It differs from R. s. sulfuratus in only one or two details: the bill is about a third shorter, squat and in some birds the red on the tip is less conspicuous; the red band below the yellow breast is broader...They roost with their bills hidden under their feathers and their tails flat over their backs. They utter strange shrill cries like a piglet screaming, but only when they feel threatened." (A. Rutgers, Birds of South America, 1972, p.149)
The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America, and some West Indian islands. The first time that any member of the family was described was by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in his "de la natural hystoria de las Indias." (Toledo, 1526, chapter 42) In 1555 Pierre Belon included an illustration of its beak in his "L'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux." (Paris, 1555, p. 184) Andre Thevet first used the name 'Toucan' with a long description, and a woodcut of a whole bird, in his "Singularitez de la France" (Paris, 1555, pp.88-90). The Latin name "Burhynchus" or "Ramphestes" (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ("Icones Avium", 1560, p.130), and Linnaeus later adopted Aldrovandus' corrupted form of the latter ("Ramphastos"), which is how the family was still recognized at the time of the publication of the present image.
The first edition of Gould's work, published in 1833-1835, represented the first concerted attempt to produce a monograph on the family. The present image is from the second expanded edition, which Gould considered to be a completely separate work: the plates were all re-drawn and the text re-written.
Cf. Anker 170; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 101; cf. Nissen IVB 378; cf. Sauer 3; cf. Wood, p. 364; cf. Zimmer, p. 252.
#10002$2,750.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Aulacorhamphus Derbianus [Pl. 43]
[Pl. 43]. [London: by the Author, 1854]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Sheet size: 21 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches.
A fine image from the expanded second edition of John Gould's "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans."
The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America, and some West Indian islands. The first time that any member of the family was described was by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in his "de la natural hystoria de las Indias." (Toledo, 1526, chapter 42) In 1555 Pierre Belon included an illustration of its beak in his "L'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux." (Paris, 1555, p. 184) Andre Thevet first used the name 'Toucan' with a long description, and a woodcut of a whole bird, in his "Singularitez de la France" (Paris, 1555, pp.88-90). The Latin name "Burhynchus" or "Ramphestes" (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ("Icones Avium", 1560, p.130), and Linnaeus later adopted Aldrovandus' corrupted form of the latter ("Ramphastos"), which is how the family was still recognized at the time of the publication of the present image.
The first edition of Gould's work, published in 1833-1835, represented the first concerted attempt to produce a monograph on the family. The present image is from the second expanded edition, which Gould considered to be a completely separate work: the plates were all re-drawn and the text re-written.
Cf. Anker 170; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 101; cf. Nissen IVB 378; cf. Sauer 3; cf. Wood, p. 364; cf. Zimmer, p. 252.
#14867$1,850.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Aulacorhamphus Prasinus [Pl. 47]
[Pl. 47]. [London: by the Author, 1854]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Sheet size: 21 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches.
A fine image from the expanded second edition of John Gould's "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans."
The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America, and some West Indian islands. The first time that any member of the family was described was by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in his "de la natural hystoria de las Indias." (Toledo, 1526, chapter 42) In 1555 Pierre Belon included an illustration of its beak in his "L'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux." (Paris, 1555, p. 184) Andre Thevet first used the name 'Toucan' with a long description, and a woodcut of a whole bird, in his "Singularitez de la France" (Paris, 1555, pp.88-90). The Latin name "Burhynchus" or "Ramphestes" (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ("Icones Avium", 1560, p.130), and Linnaeus later adopted Aldrovandus' corrupted form of the latter ("Ramphastos"), which is how the family was still recognized at the time of the publication of the present image.
The first edition of Gould's work, published in 1833-1835, represented the first concerted attempt to produce a monograph on the family. The present image is from the second expanded edition, which Gould considered to be a completely separate work: the plates were all re-drawn and the text re-written.
Cf. Anker 170; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 101; cf. Nissen IVB 378; cf. Sauer 3; cf. Wood, p. 364; cf. Zimmer, p. 252.
#14878$1,750.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Black Cormorant. Phalacrocorax graculus
London: [by the Author, 1832-1837]. Lithograph, coloured by hand, by J & E. Gould, printed by C. Hullmandel. Very good condition apart from some overall light soiling. Sheet size: 13 15/16 x 20 5/8 inches.
A beautiful image from John Gould's 'The Birds of Europe': a work which, according to Hyman, 'included some of the most remarkable bird drawings ever made'.
This plate is from the second of John Gould's great ornithological portfolios. Gould undertook this work not only hoping to build on the success of his first work (on the birds of the Himalaya mountains), but also in an effort to redress the imbalance between the study of local and foreign ornithology. It was his opinion that too much attention had focused on the exotic, whilst the beauty of the more local species was ignored. He wrote in the preface to the work from which this image comes: 'It has been frequently remarked that the productions of distant countries have received a much larger share of attention than those objects by which we are more immediately surrounded; and it is certainly true, that while numerous and costly illustrations have made us acquainted with the Ornithology of most other parts of the world, the Birds of Europe, in which we are, or ought to be, more interested, have not received that degree of attention which they naturally demand. The present work has been undertaken to supply that deficiency.'
The images in this work are the first to be published by Gould that show the liveliness of treatment that was to become such a feature of later works. This break from the traditional methods of bird depiction can be largely attributed to the influence of and contributions from Edward Lear: 'They are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, [for] it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm'. (Hyman)
Cf. Anker 169; cf.Balis 101; cf.Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 102; cf.Nissen IVB 371; cf.Sauer 2; cf.Zimmer p. 251.
#9273$1,200.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Cephalepis Lalandi [De Lalande's Plover-crest]
[London: by the Author, 1849-1887]. Hand-coloured lithograph by H.C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Beautifully heightened with gold iridescence. Wove paper. Very good condition apart from some minor browning to margins. Sheet size: 22 x 15 1/8 inches.
A beautiful image, heightened with gold iridescence, from 'A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-Birds', John Gould's 'masterpiece, [which]... must ever remain a feast of beauty and a source of wonder... an incomparable catalogue and compendium of beauty' ('Fine Bird Books').
'There is no one appreciative of the beauties of nature who will not recall... with delight the time when a live humming-bird first met his gaze. The suddenness of the apparition, even when expected, and its brief duration, are alone enough to fix the fluttering vision on the mind's eye.... The beautiful nests of humming-birds... will be found on examination to be very solidly and tenaciously built, though the materials are generally of the slightest - cotton-wool or some vegetable down and spider's webs' (Alfred Newton in 'The Encyclopedia Britannica 1911, vol. 13, p.887). The Hummingbird family includes members that are the smallest birds in the world. The largest measures no more than 8 1/2 inches and the smallest 2 3/8 inches in length. They are confined to the American continent and its islands, but are wide ranging within this limitation, with over 400 different species covering an area from the fuchias of Tierra del Fuego in the south to the althaea bushes of Toronto gardens in the north.
The present image is from the work of which Gould himself was most proud. Hummingbirds remained a fascination for him throughout his professional life, as evidenced by his collection of 1500 mounted specimens, which were exhibited in the Royal Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park, London, in 1851 as part of the festivities surrounding the Great Exhibition. The exhibit proved a great success, with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert numbering among the 75,000 visitors.
Cf. Anker 177; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.101; cf. Nissen IVB 380; cf. Sauer 16 & 29; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p. 258.
#18696$1,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Cephalepis Loddigesi [Loddiges' Plover-crest]
[London: by the Author, 1849-1887]. Hand-coloured lithograph by H.C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Beautifully heightened with gold iridescence. Wove paper. Very good condition apart from some minor browning to margins. Sheet size: 22 x 15 inches.
A beautiful image, heightened with gold iridescence, from 'A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-Birds', John Gould's 'masterpiece, [which]... must ever remain a feast of beauty and a source of wonder... an incomparable catalogue and compendium of beauty' ('Fine Bird Books').
'There is no one appreciative of the beauties of nature who will not recall... with delight the time when a live humming-bird first met his gaze. The suddenness of the apparition, even when expected, and its brief duration, are alone enough to fix the fluttering vision on the mind's eye.... The beautiful nests of humming-birds... will be found on examination to be very solidly and tenaciously built, though the materials are generally of the slightest - cotton-wool or some vegetable down and spider's webs' (Alfred Newton in 'The Encyclopedia Britannica 1911, vol. 13, p.887). The Hummingbird family includes members that are the smallest birds in the world. The largest measures no more than 8 1/2 inches and the smallest 2 3/8 inches in length. They are confined to the American continent and its islands, but are wide ranging within this limitation, with over 400 different species covering an area from the fuchias of Tierra del Fuego in the south to the althaea bushes of Toronto gardens in the north.
The present image is from the work of which Gould himself was most proud. Hummingbirds remained a fascination for him throughout his professional life, as evidenced by his collection of 1500 mounted specimens, which were exhibited in the Royal Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park, London, in 1851 as part of the festivities surrounding the Great Exhibition. The exhibit proved a great success, with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert numbering among the 75,000 visitors.
Cf. Anker 177; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.101; cf. Nissen IVB 380; cf. Sauer 16 & 29; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p. 258.
#18693$1,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Ceriornis caboti [Dr. Cabot's Horned Pheasant]
[London: by the Author, 1850-1883]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H.C.Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Wove paper. (Paper somewhat browned). Sheet size: 14 3/4 x 21 1/2 inches.
A fine image from John Gould's magnificent folio work 'The Birds of Asia'.
'Among the eminent and liberal men I had the pleasure of becoming acquianted with during my visit to the United States of America in the summer of 1857, was Dr. Cabot of Boston... In his collection were many rarities, some of which especially interested me, but none more so than the remarkable bird represented on the... [present] plate, and which had been received by him from China... I could no other information respecting the bird [other] than that it was from... the neighbourhood of Macao' (Gould).
The intended geographical range of "The Birds of Asia" was enourmous, and very much in keeping with the seemingly limitless self-belief of the 19th-century's best known ornithologist. In his all-encompasing work John Gould includes species from all corners of the eastern world, as Richard Bowdler Sharpe noted the work covers "Species from Palestine to the eastward, and from the Moluccas to the west". Gould chose to record the bird life from an area which, with the exception of the tropical areas of the American continent, includes the widest, and most colourful variety of bird life to be found anywhere in the world.
The present plate is from a large number of images documenting the pheasants of the region, one of the most beautiful and varied of all bird families.
Cf. Anker 178; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.102; cf. Nissen IVB 368; cf. Sauer 17; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p.258.
#5572$3,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Chalcophasis sclateri [Sclater's Monal (Lophophorus sclateri)]
[London: by the Author, 1850-1883]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and William Hart, printed by Walter. Wove paper. (Paper somewhat browned). Sheet size: 14 3/4 x 21 1/2 inches.
A fine image from John Gould's magnificent folio work 'The Birds of Asia'.
'Sclater's Monal occurs in the mountain regions of northern Assam, south-east Tibet, north-east Burma and Yunnan... The first account of the species was published by Jerdon in 1870... Sclater's Monal lives in dense conifer forests with an undergrowth of rhododendrons, up to an altitude of 10,000 feet.' (A.Rutgers Birds of Asia 1969, p.25).
The intended geographical range of "The Birds of Asia" was enormous, and very much in keeping with the seemingly limitless self-belief of the 19th-century's best known ornithologist. In his all-encompassing work John Gould includes species from all corners of the eastern world, as Richard Bowdler Sharpe noted the work covers "Species from Palestine to the eastward, and from the Moluccas to the west". Gould chose to record the bird life from an area which, with the exception of the tropical areas of the American continent, includes the widest, and most colourful variety of bird life to be found anywhere in the world.
The present plate is from a large number of images documenting the pheasants of the region, one of the most beautiful and varied of all bird families.
Cf. Anker 178; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.102; cf. Nissen IVB 368; cf. Sauer 17; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p.258.
#5558$2,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Coeligena purpurea [Purple Coeligene]
[London: by the Author, 1849-1887]. Hand-coloured lithograph by H.C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Heightened with gum arabic. Wove paper. Very good condition. Sheet size: 21 7/8 x 15 1/8 inches.
A beautiful image, heightened with gold iridescence, from 'A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-Birds', John Gould's 'masterpiece, [which]... must ever remain a feast of beauty and a source of wonder... an incomparable catalogue and compendium of beauty' ('Fine Bird Books').
'There is no one appreciative of the beauties of nature who will not recall... with delight the time when a live humming-bird first met his gaze. The suddenness of the apparition, even when expected, and its brief duration, are alone enough to fix the fluttering vision on the mind's eye.... The beautiful nests of humming-birds... will be found on examination to be very solidly and tenaciously built, though the materials are generally of the slightest - cotton-wool or some vegetable down and spider's webs' (Alfred Newton in 'The Encyclopedia Britannica 1911, vol. 13, p.887). The Hummingbird family includes members that are the smallest birds in the world. The largest measures no more than 8 1/2 inches and the smallest 2 3/8 inches in length. They are confined to the American continent and its islands, but are wide ranging within this limitation, with over 400 different species covering an area from the fuchias of Tierra del Fuego in the south to the althaea bushes of Toronto gardens in the north.
The present image is from the work of which Gould himself was most proud. Hummingbirds remained a fascination for him throughout his professional life, as evidenced by his collection of 1500 mounted specimens, which were exhibited in the Royal Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park, London, in 1851 as part of the festivities surrounding the Great Exhibition. The exhibit proved a great success, with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert numbering among the 75,000 visitors.
Cf. Anker 177; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.101; cf. Nissen IVB 380; cf. Sauer 16 & 29; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p. 258.
#18698$1,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Coeligena typica [Coeligene]
[London: by the Author, 1849-1887]. Hand-coloured lithograph by H.C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Heightened with gum arabic. Wove paper. Very good condition. Sheet size: 21 7/8 x 15 inches.
A beautiful image, heightened with gold iridescence, from 'A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-Birds', John Gould's 'masterpiece, [which]... must ever remain a feast of beauty and a source of wonder... an incomparable catalogue and compendium of beauty' ('Fine Bird Books').
'There is no one appreciative of the beauties of nature who will not recall... with delight the time when a live humming-bird first met his gaze. The suddenness of the apparition, even when expected, and its brief duration, are alone enough to fix the fluttering vision on the mind's eye.... The beautiful nests of humming-birds... will be found on examination to be very solidly and tenaciously built, though the materials are generally of the slightest - cotton-wool or some vegetable down and spider's webs' (Alfred Newton in 'The Encyclopedia Britannica 1911, vol. 13, p.887). The Hummingbird family includes members that are the smallest birds in the world. The largest measures no more than 8 1/2 inches and the smallest 2 3/8 inches in length. They are confined to the American continent and its islands, but are wide ranging within this limitation, with over 400 different species covering an area from the fuchias of Tierra del Fuego in the south to the althaea bushes of Toronto gardens in the north.
The present image is from the work of which Gould himself was most proud. Hummingbirds remained a fascination for him throughout his professional life, as evidenced by his collection of 1500 mounted specimens, which were exhibited in the Royal Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park, London, in 1851 as part of the festivities surrounding the Great Exhibition. The exhibit proved a great success, with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert numbering among the 75,000 visitors.
Cf. Anker 177; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.101; cf. Nissen IVB 380; cf. Sauer 16 & 29; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p. 258.
#18691$1,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Common Curlew. Numenius arquata
London: [by the Author, 1832-1837]. Lithograph, coloured by hand, by J & E. Gould, printed by C. Hullmandel. Very good condition apart from some overall light soiling and a skillfully repaired 1" tear in the left margin. Sheet size: 14 5/8 x 21 3/8 inches.
A beautiful image from John Gould's 'The Birds of Europe': a work which, according to Hyman, 'included some of the most remarkable bird drawings ever made'.
This plate is from the second of John Gould's great ornithological portfolios. Gould undertook this work not only hoping to build on the success of his first work (on the birds of the Himalaya mountains), but also in an effort to redress the imbalance between the study of local and foreign ornithology. It was his opinion that too much attention had focused on the exotic, whilst the beauty of the more local species was ignored. He wrote in the preface to the work from which this image comes: 'It has been frequently remarked that the productions of distant countries have received a much larger share of attention than those objects by which we are more immediately surrounded; and it is certainly true, that while numerous and costly illustrations have made us acquainted with the Ornithology of most other parts of the world, the Birds of Europe, in which we are, or ought to be, more interested, have not received that degree of attention which they naturally demand. The present work has been undertaken to supply that deficiency.'
The images in this work are the first to be published by Gould that show the liveliness of treatment that was to become such a feature of later works. This break from the traditional methods of bird depiction can be largely attributed to the influence of and contributions from Edward Lear: 'They are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, [for] it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm'. (Hyman)
Cf. Anker 169; cf.Balis 101; cf.Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 102; cf.Nissen IVB 371; cf.Sauer 2; cf.Zimmer p. 251.
#9285$1,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Common Ptarmigan. Lagopus mutus
London: [by the Author, 1832-1837]. Lithograph, coloured by hand, by J & E. Gould, printed by C. Hullmandel. Very good condition apart from some overall light soiling. Sheet size: 14 1/4 x 21 1/8 inches.
A beautiful image from John Gould's 'The Birds of Europe': a work which, according to Hyman, 'included some of the most remarkable bird drawings ever made'.
This plate is from the second of John Gould's great ornithological portfolios. Gould undertook this work not only hoping to build on the success of his first work (on the birds of the Himalaya mountains), but also in an effort to redress the imbalance between the study of local and foreign ornithology. It was his opinion that too much attention had focused on the exotic, whilst the beauty of the more local species was ignored. He wrote in the preface to the work from which this image comes: 'It has been frequently remarked that the productions of distant countries have received a much larger share of attention than those objects by which we are more immediately surrounded; and it is certainly true, that while numerous and costly illustrations have made us acquainted with the Ornithology of most other parts of the world, the Birds of Europe, in which we are, or ought to be, more interested, have not received that degree of attention which they naturally demand. The present work has been undertaken to supply that deficiency.'
The images in this work are the first to be published by Gould that show the liveliness of treatment that was to become such a feature of later works. This break from the traditional methods of bird depiction can be largely attributed to the influence of and contributions from Edward Lear: 'They are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, [for] it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm'. (Hyman)
Cf. Anker 169; cf.Balis 101; cf.Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 102; cf.Nissen IVB 371; cf.Sauer 2; cf.Zimmer p. 251.
#9274$1,200.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Cygnus Olor [Mute Swan]
London: [Taylor and Francis for the Author, 1862 - 1873]. Lithograph, coloured by hand, by J. Wolf & H. C. Richter, printed by Walter. Very good condition apart from some overall light soiling, and a few skillfully repaired small tears in the top margin. Sheet size: 14 x 21 1/4 inches.
A beautiful image from John Gould's "The Birds of Great Britain": "A magnificent work with life-like portraits of birds of the British Isles." (Wood)
This plate, from what Sacheverell Sitwell called "The most popular of all his works" (Fine Bird Books), shows a new liveliness of treatment that is not present in Gould's earlier works. This change is thanks to suggestions made by Joseph Wolf, who drew 57 of the plates and accompanied Gould on an ornithological tour of Scandinavia in 1856.
Gould's illustrations were all painstakingly coloured by hand, as he states in his preface: "Many of the public are quite unaware how the colouring of these large plates is accomplished; and not a few believe that they are produced by some mechanical process or by chromo-lithography. This, however, is not the case: every sky with its varied tints and every feather of each bird were coloured by hand; and when it is considered...it will most likely cause some astonishment to those who give the subject a thought."
Cf.Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 102; cf. Nissen IVB 372; cf. Sauer 23; cf. Wood, p. 365; cf. Zimmer, p. 261.
#9368$2,250.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Delattria Henrica [Henry De Lattre Cazique]
[London: by the Author, 1849-1887]. Hand-coloured lithograph by H.C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Heightened with gum arabic. Wove paper. Very good condition. Sheet size: 22 x 15 inches.
A beautiful image, heightened with gold iridescence, from 'A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-Birds', John Gould's 'masterpiece, [which]... must ever remain a feast of beauty and a source of wonder... an incomparable catalogue and compendium of beauty' ('Fine Bird Books').
'There is no one appreciative of the beauties of nature who will not recall... with delight the time when a live humming-bird first met his gaze. The suddenness of the apparition, even when expected, and its brief duration, are alone enough to fix the fluttering vision on the mind's eye.... The beautiful nests of humming-birds... will be found on examination to be very solidly and tenaciously built, though the materials are generally of the slightest - cotton-wool or some vegetable down and spider's webs' (Alfred Newton in 'The Encyclopedia Britannica 1911, vol. 13, p.887). The Hummingbird family includes members that are the smallest birds in the world. The largest measures no more than 8 1/2 inches and the smallest 2 3/8 inches in length. They are confined to the American continent and its islands, but are wide ranging within this limitation, with over 400 different species covering an area from the fuchias of Tierra del Fuego in the south to the althaea bushes of Toronto gardens in the north.
The present image is from the work of which Gould himself was most proud. Hummingbirds remained a fascination for him throughout his professional life, as evidenced by his collection of 1500 mounted specimens, which were exhibited in the Royal Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park, London, in 1851 as part of the festivities surrounding the Great Exhibition. The exhibit proved a great success, with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert numbering among the 75,000 visitors.
Cf. Anker 177; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.101; cf. Nissen IVB 380; cf. Sauer 16 & 29; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p. 258.
#18699$1,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Delattria Viridipallens [Green-throated Cazique]
[London: by the Author, 1849-1887]. Hand-coloured lithograph by Hullmandel & Walton, printed by the Mintern brothers. With later professional hand colouring. Wove paper. In excellent condition. Sheet size: 21 3/4 x 14 1/4 inches.
A beautiful image from 'A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-Birds', John Gould's 'masterpiece, [which]... must ever remain a feast of beauty and a source of wonder... an incomparable catalogue and compendium of beauty' ('Fine Bird Books').
'There is no one appreciative of the beauties of nature who will not recall... with delight the time when a live humming-bird first met his gaze. The suddenness of the apparition, even when expected, and its brief duration, are alone enough to fix the fluttering vision on the mind's eye.... The beautiful nests of humming-birds... will be found on examination to be very solidly and tenaciously built, though the materials are generally of the slightest - cotton-wool or some vegetable down and spider's webs' (Alfred Newton in 'The Encyclopedia Britannica 1911, vol. 13, p.887). The Hummingbird family includes members that are the smallest birds in the world. The largest measures no more than 8 1/2 inches and the smallest 2 3/8 inches in length. They are confined to the American continent and its islands, but are wide ranging within this limitation, with over 400 different species covering an area from the fuchias of Tierra del Fuego in the south to the althaea bushes of Toronto gardens in the north.
The present image is from the work of which Gould himself was most proud. Hummingbirds remained a fascination for him throughout his professional life, as evidenced by his collection of 1500 mounted specimens, which were exhibited in the Royal Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park, London, in 1851 as part of the festivities surrounding the Great Exhibition. The exhibit proved a great success, with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert numbering among the 75,000 visitors.
Cf. Anker 177; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.101; cf. Nissen IVB 380; cf. Sauer 16 & 29; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p. 258.
#16406$1,000.00
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