Original Circa 1850 John Gould “Urochroa Bougieri” Hand-Colored Hummingbird Lithograph

Details

Description

An exceptional original 19th-century hand-colored lithograph by celebrated British ornithologist and publisher John Gould, depicting a pair of hummingbirds identified … Read more An exceptional original 19th-century hand-colored lithograph by celebrated British ornithologist and publisher John Gould, depicting a pair of hummingbirds identified beneath the image as Urochroa bougieri.

This listing is for one framed Gould bird print but there are several other exceptional quality prints tat were part of a collection and were framed together should one want to make an impressive bird wall.

Created for Gould’s monumental A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-Birds, published in London between 1849 and 1861, the composition was drawn and lithographed by John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter and printed by the distinguished firm Hullmandel & Walton, as documented in the inscriptions along the lower margin.

The birds are portrayed among graceful flowering vines, one perched above a cluster of coral-orange trumpet blossoms and the other suspended in flight below. Their iridescent blue-green throats, deep jewel-toned plumage, and delicately articulated wings are rendered with the meticulous naturalism and luminous hand coloring for which Gould’s hummingbird plates are renowned.

The original lithograph is professionally presented beneath TruGuard UV-protective conservation glass, matching the conservation framing used throughout the collection. A pale celadon mat is accented with fine ruled lines and a narrow marbled-paper border, while a slender gilt frame with decorative corner details completes the elegant presentation.

A highly collectible example of Victorian natural-history illustration, this work would be especially striking in a library, study, living room, bedroom, or curated gallery wall. It complements traditional, English country, Chinoiserie, botanical, Grand Tour, and layered collected interiors. See less