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George EdwardsSet of Two Hand-Colored Ornithological Engravings by George Edwards /// Bird Art1743-1764
1743-1764
About the Item
Artist: George Edwards (English, 1694-1773)
Title: "Set of Two Hand-Colored Ornithological Engravings by George Edwards"
Portfolio: A Natural History of Uncommon Birds, and of Some Other Rare and Undescribed Animals / Gleanings Of Natural History
Year: 1743-1764
Medium: Set of Two Original Hand-Colored Engravings on watermarked laid and wove papers
Limited edition: Unknown
Printer: C. Rickaby, London, UK
Publisher: William Gardiner and Messrs. Robinson, London, UK
Reference: Mullens and Swann page 194-195; Anker No. 124-126; Fine Bird Books page 93; Lisney page 128-144; Nissen IVB No. 286-288; Zimmer page 192-198
Sheet size (each): approx. 11.25" x 9"
Image size (each): approx. 8.63" x 7.38"
Condition: "90" has faint offsetting to sheet. "308" has one foxmark center right. They are both otherwise in excellent condition with strong colors
Notes:
Comes from Edwards seven volume portfolio "A Natural History of Uncommon Birds, and of Some Other Rare and Undescribed Animals" / "Gleanings Of Natural History" (1743-1764), which consists of 362 hand-colored engravings. "90" is on laid paper with a "fleur-de-lis" watermark at center left edge. "308" is on wove paper with no watermark. The last image of the cover title sheets is for reference/provenance; it is not included.
Biography:
George Edwards FRS (3 April 1694 – 23 July 1773) was an English naturalist and ornithologist, known as the "father of British ornithology". Edwards was born at West Ham, then in the county of Essex. In his early years, he travelled extensively through mainland Europe, studying natural history, and gained a reputation for his coloured drawings of animals, especially birds. He was appointed as beadle to the Royal College of Physicians in 1733. Over a period of 21 years, Edwards published seven volumes containing descriptions and hand-coloured etchings of birds. In a few cases, he depicted other animals. None of the species were native to the British Isles. The first four volumes were published between 1743 and 1751 with the title "A Natural History of Uncommon Birds". The three subsequent volumes were published between 1758 and 1764 with the title "Gleanings Of Natural History". The volumes contain a total of 362 hand-coloured etchings of which 317 depict birds. The etchings were all drawn by Edwards. He numbered the plates consecutively through the seven volumes.When the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition in 1758, he listed a binomial name for every plant and animal. For many of the birds he cited the description and illustration in A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Later, when he updated the Systema Naturae for the 12th edition in 1766, he cited the Gleanings of Natural History. Edwards was elected a member of the Royal Society in 1757. He never married and died aged 79 in 1773 in Plaistow, Essex.
- Creator:George Edwards (1694 - 1773, English)
- Creation Year:1743-1764
- Dimensions:Height: 11.25 in (28.58 cm)Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:1740-1749
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Saint Augustine, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU121212900242
George Edwards
Known today as the Father of British Ornithology, George Edwards was a draftsman and naturalist who popularized the art of bird and animal illustrations throughout the 18th century. His main collections of etchings, which were bound as the volumes A Natural History of Uncommon Birds and Gleaning of Natural History, together comprise more than 600 animals and were the first works to delineate many of the featured species.
Edwards cultivated an interest in natural history while traveling around Europe, becoming particularly enamored with birds. Upon his return to the United Kingdom, in 1733, Irish physicist Hans Sloane, an acquaintance of British naturalists/illustrators Eleazar Albin and Mark Catesby, offered Edwards a librarian position at the Royal College of Physicians. The job granted him access to a large collection of works on natural history, which he explored enthusiastically.
With instruction from Catesby, Edwards learned etching and spent much of his time preparing plates and drawings for his books. While Edwards hand-colored his early editions, later works were colored in by other artists, like British artist Peter Paillou, allowing Edwards to focus on etching and writing.
George Edwards earned his reputation for both his illustrations and written descriptions of his subjects — widely acclaimed for their accuracy. Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus cited Edwards’s texts when developing his major work, Systema Naturæ. The Royal Society in London awarded Edwards the Copley Medal in 1750 for outstanding achievement in the field of science. Edwards retired in 1763 to Plaistow, England, and died in 1773.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of George Edwards engravings and wall decorations.
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