Rare Gould Pattern Gallery, 19th Century Hand-Colored Lithographs From John Gould’s Birds of Australia | Custom Mat Selection - Set of 6

Details

Description

ABOUT THE WORKS

This exceptional six-piece gallery brings together original nineteenth-century lithographs with original hand coloring from John Gould’s monumental … Read more ABOUT THE WORKS

This exceptional six-piece gallery brings together original nineteenth-century lithographs with original hand coloring from John Gould’s monumental The Birds of Australia, published in London between 1840 and 1869. The group includes the White-headed Petrel, Silvery-grey Petrel, Soft-plumaged Petrel, Great Grey Petrel, Fleshy-footed Petrel, and Wedge-tailed Petrel.

Each of the six lithographs is identified by manuscript notation as a pattern, or key, impression. Pattern impressions served as working color references for Gould’s publications, establishing the intended placement, tonal relationships, and finish that colorists were expected to reproduce across hand-colored impressions. In practical terms, they functioned as the examples colorists consulted when coloring the impressions prepared for publication.

Unlike plates accompanied by their corresponding descriptive text in bound copies of The Birds of Australia, these working pattern impressions were issued without the corresponding text leaves. Their function was tied instead to the production process and the guidance of the colorists preparing Gould’s finished works.

Different iterations of pattern impressions were created as working references for Gould’s publications, and this group represents a notably refined surviving form. The six are titled impressions and remain comparatively clean and well preserved. As working production material rather than ordinary published impressions, they retain a direct connection to the creation of Gould’s finished ornithological works.

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DOCUMENTATION & PROVENANCE

The gallery is accompanied by original specialist documentation identifying the works as pattern impressions from John Gould’s Birds of Australia and describing their use as working color references during the publishing process.

The documentation records provenance through Donald A. Heald Rare Books, Prints and Maps and Henry Sotheran & Company’s acquisition of Gould’s remaining pattern material following his death. It further guarantees the works as authentic original antique prints and not modern reproductions. Copies of the documentation will accompany the gallery.

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CUSTOMIZATION

- MATTING | Custom conservation matting is included, with a choice of single- or double-mat presentation. All matting is prepared with acid- and lignin-free materials using fully reversible archival hinging. The gallery may also be purchased unmatted if preferred; conservation matting is included as part of the offering, and choosing an unmatted presentation does not alter the purchase price.
- SIZE | Original sheet size: approximately 15 × 21 7/8 inches each. Matted dimensions: 18 × 26 inches per lithograph.
- COLORS | Choose any combination of the three colors shown: white, green, and tan, with any color used as either the outer or inner mat. Additional colors are available by request and may require additional lead time.
- FULFILLMENT | Custom-matted orders are typically prepared for shipment within 7–10 days.
- FRAMING | Frames shown in styled photographs are illustrative and are not included. Coordinated framing may be added for an additional cost.
- PHOTOGRAPHS | Aside from the staged room images shown for scale and presentation context, all photographs depict the actual six antique lithographs offered in this listing. The matting shown is actual hand-cut work crafted by AJ | Gilded, not digital renderings, and illustrates available presentation options. Mat colors and combinations may be customized as described above. See less