Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 8

John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter
Bolivian Rainbow Hummingbirds: A Framed 19th C. Hand-colored Lithograph by Gould

1862-1873

$2,375
£1,785.81
€2,073.76
CA$3,316.64
A$3,678.40
CHF 1,931.71
MX$45,173.33
NOK 24,453.66
SEK 23,060.13
DKK 15,472.51
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

This is an original framed 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled "Diphogena Aurora" (Bolivian Rainbow Hummingbirds) by John Gould, from his "Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Hummingbirds", published in London in 1853. The print depicts two Bolivian Rainbow hummingbirds feeding on the nectar of small flowers on a branch. This striking framed Gould hand-colored lithograph is presented in a antiqued gold frame, a gold-colored fillet, and a light tan French mat, embellished with a mint-colored broad band. The frame measures 32" high, 25.5" wide and 1.25" thick. The hand-coloring is enhanced by the use of gum-arabic paint on the hummingbirds heads and necks, giving them an iridescent appearance. The descriptive text page from Gould's original publication is included. It is affixed to the back of the frame in a clear sleeve. The piece is in excellent condition. There are several other unframed Gould bird lithographs available on our 1stdibs and InCollect storefronts. Two or more of these striking lithographs would make an attractive display grouping. A discount is available for purchase of a set depending on the number. These additional Gould hummingbirds may be viewed by typing Timeless Intaglio in the 1stdibs or InCollect search field to be taken to our storefront. John Gould (1804-1881]) was an English ornithologist and artist. He, like his American contemporary John James Audubon, published a number of books on birds in the mid 19th century, illustrated by hand-colored lithographs. His wife and fellow artist, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists including Edward Lear and Henry Constantine Richter produced lithographs for his various publications. He has been considered the father of bird study in Australia and the Gould League in Australia is named after him. Charles Darwin referenced Gould’s work in his book, "On the Origin of Species" and Gould named a bird after Darwin; "Darwin's finches". Gould began his career in London as a taxidermist, but in 1827 became the first curator and conservator at the museum of the Zoological Society of London. In this position naturalists brought him collections of birds from all over the world. He began creating drawings and eventually hand-colored lithographs with his wife and Edward Lear, which were the basis for his first publications. Darwin brought him specimens from the Galapagos Islands, including 12 species of finches which had never been described. In 1838, Gould and his wife travelled to Australia and their work led to the seven volume publication of “The Birds of Australia”. Gould had a fascination for hummingbirds and collected specimens of 320 varieties before ever seeing a live hummingbird on a trip to the United States in 1857. He eventually published “A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds". Other large publications include: "The Birds of Europe"," A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans”, “A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia, and the Adjacent Islands”, “A Monograph of the Odontophorinae, or Partridges of America”, “The Birds of Asia”, “The Birds of Great Britain” and "The Birds of New Guinea and the Adjacent Papuan Islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia". John Gould (1804-1881) was a British ornithologist and illustrator who is best known for his monumental work, "The Birds of Europe," published between 1832 and 1837. Gould was born in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, and began working as a taxidermist and natural history dealer in London in the 1820s. In 1827, Gould was appointed the first curator and preserver of birds at the Zoological Society of London, where he began to build his collection of specimens and began to study the birds of the world. He published his first monograph, "A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains," in 1831, which included 80 plates of Himalayan birds. Gould continued to publish numerous volumes on the birds of the world throughout his life, including "The Birds of Australia" (1840-1848) and "The Birds of Great Britain" (1862-1873). His works were highly regarded for their accuracy and detail, and he was one of the most prominent ornithologists of his time. In addition to his work as an ornithologist, Gould was also a successful businessman, and he used his profits to fund expeditions and to support the scientific community. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1843, and he was awarded the Royal Medal in 1844 and the Gold Medal of the Zoological Society in 1856. John Gould died in London in 1881 at the age of 76. He is remembered as one of the greatest ornithologists of the 19th century and as a pioneer of the scientific study of birds.

More From This Seller

View All
Hummingbirds: Framed Gould Antique Hand-Colored "Rufous-breasted Sabrewing"
By John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter
Located in Alamo, CA
This is a framed hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Campylopterus Hyperythrus" (Rufous-breasted Sabrewing Hummingbird), Plate 51 from John Gould's "A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds", published in London in 1850. The print, which was drawn by Gould and Henry Richter and lithographed by Hullmandel and Walton, depicts three hummingbirds displaying multiple colors, including, green, blue and shades of brown highlights among burgundy and cream colored flowers. The hummingbirds are highlighted by bright iridescent metallic paint. This beautiful Gould hummingbird...
Category

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Thorn-Bill Hummingbirds: A Framed 19th C. Hand-colored Lithograph by Gould
By John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original framed 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled "Ramphomicron vulcani" (Southern Thorn-Bill Hummingbirds) by John Gould, Pl. 186 from his "Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Hummingbirds", published in London in 1853. The print depicts two Southern Thorn-Bill hummingbirds sitting on branches of a flowering plant. This striking framed Gould hand-colored lithograph is presented in a antiqued gold frame, a gold-colored fillet, and a light tan French mat, embellished with a mint-colored broad band. The frame measures 32" high, 25.5" wide and 1.25" thick. The hand-coloring is enhanced by the use of gum-arabic paint...
Category

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Mango Hummingbirds: An Original 19th C. Audubon Hand-colored Bird Lithograph
By John James Audubon
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "Mango Humming bird, 1. 2. Males. 3. Female. Bignonia grandifolia", No. 51, Plate 251 from Audubon's "Birds of America, lithographed, printed and colored by JT Bowen and published in Philadelphia between 1870-1871. The lithograph depicts an adult male hummingbird, labelled 1, in flight above a beautiful flowering plant, a Chinese Trumpet-vine. Another male, labeled 2, is perched on a flower on the left and a female, labelled 3, is perched on a flower on the right. This hand-colored Audubon bird octavo-size lithograph sheet measures 10.25" high by 6.75" wide. It is in excellent condition. The original text pages, 185-186, from Audubon's 19th century publication are included. John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a naturalist and artist. He was initially unsuccessful financially prior to the publication of his famous work “The Birds of America”, spending time in debtor’s prison, once stabbing a disgruntled investor in self-defense. However, his obsession with birds and art motivated him to persist in his goal of documenting every bird in America via his watercolor paintings and publishing his works for all to enjoy. Audubon's first illustrations were published in a large elephant folio size. Due to their expense they were purchased in rather small numbers by the wealthy. To reach a larger audience, Audubon, with the help of his sons and J. T. Bowen, published a smaller octavo sized lithograph version, which were much more affordable. With the success of his bird projects, Audubon then turned his attention to four-legged animals. He explored the Missouri River in 1843 sketching the four-legged animals he encountered in their natural setting. His expedition covered some of the same regions recently explored by Lewis and Clark, traveling from present day Alaska to Mexico. Audubon realized that this was an opportunity to document these animals in the still relatively pristine American wilderness, before man encroached on their environment. Between 1845 and 1848, Audubon and his sons John Woodhouse Audubon...
Category

Late 19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Yarrell's Wood-star Hummingbirds: A 19th Century Hand-Colored Gould Lithograph
By John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter
Located in Alamo, CA
This is a hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Calothorax Yarrelli", Yarrell's Wood-star Hummingbirds by John Gould, published in his "A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds", published in London in 1850. The print, which was drawn by Gould and Henry Richter and lithographed by Hullmandel and Walton, depicts three green, white, grey, and a little blue colored hummingbirds amid green cactus plants with white and pink colored flowers. The hummingbirds are augmented by gum-arabic paint, which gives them an iridescent appearance in areas in which it is used. This beautiful Gould hand-colored hummingbird lithograph is in excellent condition. The original descriptive text page from Gould's 19th century publication is included. There are several other unframed Gould hummingbird...
Category

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Hummingbirds: 19th C. Gould Hand-colored "Cyanifrons", Blue-capped Saucerottia
By John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter
Located in Alamo, CA
This is a hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Saucerottia Cyanifrons", Blue-capped Saucerottia Hummingbirds by John Gould, published in his "A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds", published in London in 1850. The print, which was drawn by Gould and Henry Richter and lithographed by Hullmandel and Walton, depicts two green, blue and a little brown colored hummingbirds about a plant with green leaves and pink flowers. This beautiful Gould hand-colored hummingbird lithograph has a few very small faint spots, but it is otherwise in excellent condition. The original text page is included. There are other unframed Gould hummingbird...
Category

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Flame-bearer Hummingbirds: A 19th C. Gould Hand-colored "Selasphorus Scintilla"
By John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter
Located in Alamo, CA
This is a hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Selasphorus Scintilla" (Little Flame-bearer Hummingbirds) by John Gould, Plate 162 in his "A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds", published in London in 1850. The print, which was drawn by Gould and Henry Richter and lithographed by Hullmandel and Walton, depicts three brown, green, ochre-colored hummingbirds with flame red protrusions under their beaks; perched on broad moss green-colored leaves of a plant with pale blue-colored flowers. This beautiful Gould hand-colored hummingbird lithograph is augmented with iridescent gum-arabic paint. It is in excellent condition. The original text page is included, which has extensive foxing related to the lower quality paper used for the text pages in the publication. There are several other unframed Gould hummingbird...
Category

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

You May Also Like

John Gould - Cyanomyia Violiceps, or Violet-Crowned Hummingbird, pl.285
By John Gould
Located in Savannah, GA
John Gould (English, 1804-1881) A Gould hummingbird vintage lithograph featuring the Cyanomyia Violiceps, or Violet-Crowned Hummingbird, plate 285 from John Gould’s A Monograph of...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century British Prints

Materials

Glass, Giltwood, Paper

Hummingbirds - Etching by Johann Friedrich Naumann - 1840
Located in Roma, IT
Hummingbirds is an Etching hand colored realized by Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert - Johann Friedrich Naumann, Illustration from Natural history of birds in pictures, published by St...
Category

1840s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Pair of 19th Century John Gould, H. C. Richter Hand-Colored Bird Lithographs
By John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter
Located in Dallas, TX
Decorate a office or study with this set of antique lithographs. Hand painted in England circa 1850 by Gould and Richter, each print features exotic ...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century Prints

Materials

Glass, Giltwood, Paper

Hummingbird Bird Prints, Handcolored Fiery-Tailed Hummingbirds by Jardine, 1837
Located in Langweer, NL
The set of ten antique bird prints portray a captivating array of hummingbirds, each showcasing its unique charm and features. These illustrations originate from volume 1 of 'Naturgeschichte der Colibris' authored by W. Jardine, and published by C.A. Hartleben in 1837. These prints offer a detailed glimpse into the mesmerizing world of hummingbirds, featuring an assortment of species, including the avocet-billed hummingbird (Trochilus Avocetta), fiery-tailed awlbill (Trochilus Recurvirostris), rufous-bellied hummingbird (Trochilus Rufigaster), ruby-throated hummingbird...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century Prints

Materials

Paper

Original Antique Print of Hummingbirds, 1847, 'Unframed'
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Great image of hummingbirds Unframed. It gives you the option of perhaps making a set up using your own choice of frames. Lithograph after Cpt. brown with original hand color. Pub...
Category

Antique 1840s English Folk Art Prints

Materials

Paper

Original Antique Print of Hummingbirds, 1847, 'Unframed'
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Great image of hummingbirds Unframed. It gives you the option of perhaps making a set up using your own choice of frames. Lithograph after Cpt. brown with original hand color. Pub...
Category

Antique 1840s English Folk Art Prints

Materials

Paper