Descourtilz, Tanagers on a Banana Plant, Brazilian Bird Print, 1944, Paper

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Tanagers print after Descourtilz, Estampa 30 in the 1944 Ornitologia Brasileira, a limited Brazilian edition of Jean-Théodore Descourtilz's bird paintings, … Read more Tanagers print after Descourtilz, Estampa 30 in the 1944 Ornitologia Brasileira, a limited Brazilian edition of Jean-Théodore Descourtilz's bird paintings, printed in colour by offset. Four birds are gathered among a large bunch of green bananas, still attached to their thick stem. At the top, a sky-blue bird with a paler, lightly streaked throat and belly bends down to peck at the fruit, its dark bill open. Below and to the left, a second bird shows a wing barred in grey and black over a warm brown body and a dark face. To the right, a third bird with a black head and a dark blue-black body, marked by a white streak at the flank, perches with its bill open as though calling. At the bottom of the composition, a fourth and paler blue-grey bird grips the banana stem itself, angled so that it appears to hang along the lower edge of the plate. The bananas are rendered with careful attention to their ribbed skins and the dried brown bract at the base of the bunch, filling the upper half of the sheet with a dense mass of green and yellow-green fruit. Livraria Kosmos Editora published the Ornitologia Brasileira ou História Natural das Aves do Brasil, notáveis por sua plumagem, canto e hábitos in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in 1944. This first Portuguese edition, translated by Eurico Santos from the French original of the 1850s, was limited to 1,315 copies (1,000 plus 315 numbered). All 48 plates are colour offset prints of Descourtilz's paintings of Brazilian birds, each captioned "Estampa" with its number on a toned card within a printed green ornamental border. Jean-Théodore Descourtilz (circa 1796 to 1855) was a French painter and naturalist who travelled to Brazil in the late 1820s and devoted himself to painting its birds; his first work on the birds of Brazil appeared in 1834. Strong in colour and suitable for framing, this tanagers print after Descourtilz would make a handsome addition to a collection of ornithology prints or a colourful focal point for a library or garden room. This plate is in good condition for its age. The mount shows ordinary age toning, with a few small spots and light wear to the edges; the image itself is clean. Please review the images for further condition details. This is an original print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed. See less