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John Gould
White Eye-browed Partridges: Hand-colored Folio-sized Bird Lithograph by Gould

1840-1848

About the Item

This is a 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled "Dendrortyx Leucophrys" (White Eye-browed Partridges) by John Gould, published in his monograph 'A Monograph of the Odontophorinae, or Partridges of America' in London between 1844-1850. Reportedly only 250 copies were printed. The print depicts two partridges, one standing and the other lying apparently on sand, surrounded by high grass. A landscape of plants and possibly water is seen in the background. This beautiful hand-colored lithograph is presented in a double cream-colored mat. There is one tiny spot in the left lower corner, faint spots in the right upper print and mild toning about the periphery which is covered by the mat. It is otherwise in excellent condition. It is accompanied by the original text page. John Gould (1841-1881) was an English contemporary of the American John James Audubon. Gould published his first illustrated book on birds in 1831 entitled "A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains", followed by "Ramphastidae" and "Birds of Europe". He then extended the scope of his travels and research to include Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea, drawing birds in their natural habitat. Artists, such as his wife Elizabeth Gould, Henry Richter and Edward Lear, transferred his drawings to hand printed and hand colored stone lithographs, which are known for their beauty, detail and accuracy. As well as an exceptional and prolific artist, Gould was an outstanding scientific naturalist. In approximately 50 years he created approximately 3,000 lithographs of birds in over 40 large volumes. These include: "The Birds of Great Britain", "The Birds of Europe", "The Birds of Australia", "The Birds of Asia", "The Birds of New Guinea", "A Monograph of the Paradiseidae" (Birds of Paradise), "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae" (Family of Toucans), "A Monograph of the Trogonidae" (Family of Trogons), and "A Monograph of the Trochilidae" (Family of Hummingbirds). Gould was proud of the effort it took to produce his outstanding work and wanted collectors to know that his art was meticulously created by hand, rather than produced by a machine. He once stated "Many of the public are quite unaware how the colouring of these large plates is accomplished; and not a few believe that they are produced by some mechanical process or by chromo-lithography. This, however, is not the case; every sky with it's varied tints and every feather of each bird were coloured by hand. It will most likely cause some astonishment to those who give the subject a thought".
  • Creator:
    John Gould (1804 - 1881, British)
  • Creation Year:
    1840-1848
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 22 in (55.88 cm)Width: 28.25 in (71.76 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Alamo, CA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: # 26841stDibs: LU117326791342
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