Pair of Antique Elizabeth Gould Hand Colored Framed Lithographs Birds From the Himalaya Mountains, 1831

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Pair of Antique Elizabeth Gould Hand Colored Framed Lithographs Birds from the Himalaya Mountains, Circa 1831, Set of 2 "Otis … Read more Pair of Antique Elizabeth Gould Hand Colored Framed Lithographs Birds from the Himalaya Mountains, Circa 1831, Set of 2 "Otis Himalayanus" and "Phasianus Albo-Cristatus".

Elizabeth Gould, the great artist behind John Gould's early illustrations.

Both the Otis Himalayanus (young male) or Delicious Bustard, Otis deliciosa and the
Phasianus Albo-Cristatus, Pheasant are two Bird plates from the Himalaya Mountains eighty species (80 hand-colored lithographic plates by Elizabeth Gould after sketches by John Gould, printed by Charles Hullmandel), engravings 1831 by Elizabeth Gould (1804-1841) and John Gould (1804-1881). John Gould was working as a taxidermist, known as the 'bird-stuffer', by the Zoological Society. Gould's fascination with birds from the east began in the late 1820s when a collection of birds from the Himalayan mountains arrived at the Society's museum and Gould conceived the idea of publishing a volume of imperial folio-sized hand-coloured lithographs of the eighty species, with figures of a hundred birds. Elizabeth Gould made the drawings and transferred them to the large lithographic stones. They are called Gould plates.
Each of the Two Prints Depicting Birds from the Himalaya Mountains "Phasianus Albo-Cristatus" (2/3 Nat size) and "Otis Himalayanus" (Young Male 2/3 Nat Size ) States: Drawn from Nature & on Stone by E. Gould lower left corner and Printed by C. Hullmandel on the lower right corner.
John & Elizabeth Gould (British early 19th century) color stone lithographs apart of the 80 Gould plates. The two plates' lithographs are offset in designer custom-painted brown inset and navy wood frames with a finished chrome edge.

John Gould September 1804 – February 1881 was an English ornithologist. He published a number of monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould (1804-1841), He has been considered the father of bird study in Australia, and the Gould League in Australia is named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Gould's work is referenced in Charles Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species., This Set of 2 birds "Otis Himalayanus" and "Phasianus Albo-Cristatus" are Drawn from Nature & on Stone E. Gould and they are very rare as it's only Elizabeth referenced on each plate

Condition:
Very Good condition (Light spotting and fading, a few minor creases on the prints. The frames show signs of age slight scuffs on the finish do not distract from the overall beauty of these framed prints)
Dimensions: Height 25 inches x Width 19.25 inches x Depth 1.25 inches
Print: Height 19.50 inches x Width 13.50
* So sorry for glare on the photos. See less