John Gould, H.C. Richter 19th Century Hand-Colored Lithograph of Hummingbirds

Details

Description

Title: Brown Violet Ear or Petasophora Delphinae.
Plate 229 from: A Monograph of the Trochilidae,
or Family of Humming-birds.
Drawn … Read more Title: Brown Violet Ear or Petasophora Delphinae.
Plate 229 from: A Monograph of the Trochilidae,
or Family of Humming-birds.
Drawn and lithographed by John Gould,
Elizabeth Gould, H.C. Ritcher, and W. Hart.
Published by John Gould.
Printed by Hullmandel and Walton.
London, 1849-61.
Lithographs with original hand-color.

Medium: Stone lithograph with hand coloring
Sheet size: 21.5 x 14 inches
Sight Size: 15 x 10.5 inches
Condition: Good.

This stone lithograph is immediately recognizable as a Gould Hummingbird print. The print is in good condition. The colors are strong. There are no tears, rips or creases. There is even, light toning of the sheet; the margins are slightly lighter than the rest of the sheet. Please see the images. I assume this is due to the print being matted at one time. A new mat would cover the lighter areas. This print also includes a separate sheet, also from the monograph which describes the print.

John Gould FRS 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881 was an English ornithologist and bird artist. He published a number of monographs on birds, illustrated by plates that he produced with the assistance of his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists including Edward Lear, Henry Constantine Richter, Joseph Wolf and William Matthew Hart. He has been considered the father of bird study in Australia and the Gould League in Australia is named after him.

Throughout his professional life Gould had a strong interest in hummingbirds, so it is understandable that one of his great works would be about them. Considered John Gould’s masterpiece in both breadth and beauty, Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming Birds comprises 418 plates. It was originally published in London in five volumes in 25 parts (1849—61), plus volume six, a five-part supplement, (1880—87). Depicted and lithographed on stone by artists John Gould, Henry Constantine Richter and William Matthew Hart, each plate exquisitely portrays these delicate, evocatively colored birds with the flowers indigenous to their area. Strong botanical elements add a dimension not found in other bird folios. Today, they are among the most recognizable of all Gould prints. See less