John Gould Original 1848 “Platycercus Icterotis” Hand-Colored Bird Lithograph

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An exceptional original nineteenth-century hand-colored lithograph by renowned British ornithologist and publisher John Gould, depicting a pair of Western Rosellas, … Read more An exceptional original nineteenth-century hand-colored lithograph by renowned British ornithologist and publisher John Gould, depicting a pair of Western Rosellas, identified beneath the composition by their historic scientific name, Platycercus icterotis.
Created for Gould’s monumental publication The Birds of Australia, this plate dates to approximately 1848. The lower margins retain the original printed attributions to John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter, who designed and lithographed the composition, together with the imprint of the celebrated London lithographic firm Hullmandel & Walton. Gould’s fifth volume of The Birds of Australia, containing this species, was published in 1848.

The composition portrays the male and female rosellas perched among delicate foliage. Brilliant red, yellow, olive green, black, and powder-blue plumage is rendered with extraordinary precision, from the birds’ finely scalloped wing feathers to their elongated blue-green tails. The male’s vibrant coloring contrasts beautifully with the softer, more subdued plumage of the female, reflecting the species’ natural sexual dimorphism.

The lithograph is professionally presented beneath TruGuard UV-filtering conservation glass, as confirmed by the original label retained on the reverse. An expansive pale sage silk mat is accented by hand-ruled borders and a richly colored marbled-paper inner liner. A slender antiqued gilt frame with restrained decorative corner details completes the sophisticated presentation.

The combination of an authentic Gould plate and high-quality conservation framing makes this a highly decorative and collectible work. It would be especially striking in a library, study, living room, bedroom, or layered gallery wall and complements traditional, English country, Chinoiserie, Grand Tour, botanical, and collected European interiors. See less