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John James Audubon
Eared Grebe /// John James Audubon Ornithology Havell Edition Bird Animal Art

1838

About the Item

Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Eared Grebe" (Plate CCCCIV - 404; part No. 81) Portfolio: The Birds of America, Havell Edition Year: 1838 Medium: Original Hand-Colored Engraving with Aquatint on double-elephant folio, J. Whatman paper Limited edition: approx. 180 Printer: Robert Havell Jr., London, England Publisher: John James Audubon, London, England Framing: Recently framed in a wood moulding with rag matting from Holland and gold filet. All archival Framed size: 33.25" x 40.25" Sheet size: 23.75" x 34.63" Platemark size: 12.38" x 19.69" Image size: 9.88" x 17.63" Condition: Paper restoration to left and right extreme margins from previously being folded. One small repaired tear at platemark lower right. The occasional light surface mark and some light discoloration at bottom edge lower center and lower right. It is otherwise a strong impression in very good condition with strong colors and clean paper Very rare Notes: Provenance: private collection - Lancaster, PA. Engraved, printed, and hand-colored by English artist Robert Havell Jr. (1793-1878). Comes from Audubon's monumental book volume "The Birds of America", (Havell Edition, 1827-1838), which consists of 435 hand-colored, life-size prints, made from engraved plates, with each sheet originally measuring around 39" x 26". "J. Whatman 1838" watermark upper left. Various reference numbers pencil inscribed upper left and lower left on verso. Based on a composition apparently painted in London in 1838, when the publication was near completion. Specimens of this bird were lent to Audubon by Lord Derby (Lord Stanley as he then was). Lord Derby was the patron of another bird painter, Edward Lear. The black-necked grebe or eared grebe is a member of the grebe family of water birds. It was described in 1831 by Christian Ludwig Brehm. There are currently three accepted subspecies, including the nominate subspecies. "The Birds of America" (Havell Edition) - In Edinburgh, the Scottish engraver W. H. Lizars began to produce the very first plates for Birds of America. However, after the completion of only ten plates, Lizars' colorists went on strike, and Audubon was forced to continue his pursuit of an engraver. Audubon's dream finally found fruition with Robert Havell, a renowned London engraver. The portfolio of Birds of America, consisting of 435 hand-colored engravings, took twelve years, from 1826 to 1838, to complete. Havell also retouched Lizars' original efforts, adding aquatint to the engraving, and on those ten plates the Havell name appears alongside that of the Scottish engraver's. There were 176 recorded subscribers to the 'Birds of America' series and it is known that a handful of extra Audubon books were produced as well. Of the approximate amount of 180 ever produced, roughly 100 have never been broken and remain in permanent public museum and institution collections. In light of that, roughly only 80 examples possibly exist on the open market in private hands today. Biography: John James Audubon (April 26, 1785, Les Cayes, Saint-Domingue (later Haiti) – January 27, 1851 (aged 65) Manhattan, New York, U.S.), born Jean-Jacques Audubon, was an American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats. His major work, a color-plate book entitled The Birds of America (1827–1839), is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. Audubon identified 25 new species. Robert Havell Jr. (25 November 1793 – 11 November 1878) was the principal engraver of Audubon's Birds of America, perhaps the most significant natural history publication of all time. His aquatint engraving of all but the first ten plates of John James Audubon's Birds of America is now recognized as a significant artistic achievement in its own right and an essential component of the success of Birds of America. He and Audubon became close friends and associates during their lengthy collaboration. In 1839 Havell went to America at the invitation of Audubon, first residing in Brooklyn. He settled in Ossining on the Hudson River and later moved to Tarrytown, New York, living there from 1857 through his remaining years. Although Havell continued to work in aquatint and engraving (primarily city panoramas), he devoted most of his attention to painting the countryside of the Hudson River valley. He traveled frequently in a homemade horse-drawn trailer, sketching and taking notes and translating his sketches into larger oils. Robert Havell Jr. is considered a member of the Hudson River School of American painters. He died in 1878 and is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Tarrytown.

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Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Sandwich Tern (with Florida Cray Fish) (Florida Keys)" (Plate CCLXXIX - 279; part No. 56) Portfo...
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Tropic Bird /// Ornithology John James Audubon Shorebird Ocean Beach Seascape
By John James Audubon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Tropic Bird" (Plate CCLXII - 262; part No. 53) Portfolio: The Birds of America, Havell Edition Year: 1835 Medium: Original Hand-Colored Engraving with Aquatint on double-elephant folio, J. Whatman paper Limited edition: approx. 180 Printer: Robert Havell Jr., London, England Publisher: John James Audubon, London, England Framing: Not framed, but matted in a handmade custom French matting Matted size: 30" x 38.75" Sheet size: 25.5" x 36" Platemark size: 20.75" x 30.25" Image size: 18.5" x 27.75" Condition: A few tiny foxmarks. In excellent condition with clean paper and strong colors Rare Notes: Provenance: private collection - New York, NY. Engraved, printed, and hand-colored by English artist Robert Havell Jr. (1793-1878). Comes from Audubon's monumental book volume "The Birds of America", (Havell Edition, 1827-1838), which consists of 435 hand-colored, life-size prints, made from engraved plates, with each sheet originally measuring around 39" x 26". "J. Whatman 1835" watermark upper right. Based on a composition painted between 1832 and 1835. Audubon sailed the entire length of Florida, around the Keys and as far as the Dry Tortugas, from which, on another occasion, "The specimens - in the plate were taken - by my kind friend Robert Day, Esq. of the United States Revenue Cutter...
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Lepidoptera (Butterflies) /// Scottish Natural History Zoology Animal Engraving
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: William MacGillivray (Scottish, 1796-1852) Title: "Lepidoptera (Butterflies)" (Plate XII) Portfolio: The Edinburgh Journal of Natural History, and of The Physical Sciences Ye...
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Set of Four Hand-Colored Ornithological Engravings by John Latham /// Bird UK
By John Latham
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: John Latham (English, 1740-1837) Title: "New-Zealand Plover", "Nilid Grosbeak", "Black-throated Bunting", and "Variegated Chatterer" Portfolio: A General History of Birds Year: 1821-1828 (second edition) Medium: Set of Four Original Hand-Colored Engravings on wove paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Jacob & Johnson, Winchester, UK Publisher: John Latham, Winchester, UK Reference: Brunet III, 872; Lowndes II, page 1314; Fine Bird Books page 87; Nissen IVB 532; Zimmer page 376 Sheet size (each): approx. 11.13" x 8.75" Image size (each): approx. 4.75" x 4.5" Condition: "New-Zealand Plover" has some light offsetting and a few faint areas of discoloration at top in margin. "Nilid Grosbeak" has some faint areas of discoloration. They are all otherwise in excellent condition with strong colors Rare Notes: Provenance: acquired from Christie's, New York, NY, December 19, 1990. Comes from Latham's famous eleven volume portfolio "A General History of Birds" (1821-1828) (second edition), which consists of 193 hand-colored prints, made from engraved plates. "New-Zealand Plover" has an unidentified "1823" watermark lower right. Biography: John Latham (27 June 1740 – 4 February 1837) was an English physician, naturalist and author. His main works were A General Synopsis of Birds (1781–1801) and General History of Birds (1821–1828). He was able to examine specimens of Australian birds...
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Set of Four Hand-Colored Ornithological Engravings by John Latham /// Bird UK
By John Latham
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: John Latham (English, 1740-1837) Title: "Kamtschatkan Thrush", "Spotted-sided Grosbeak", "Crimson-bellied Flycatcher", and "Black-headed Grosbeak" Portfolio: A General History of Birds Year: 1821-1828 (second edition) Medium: Set of Four Original Hand-Colored Engravings on watermarked wove paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Jacob & Johnson, Winchester, UK Publisher: John Latham, Winchester, UK Reference: Brunet III, 872; Lowndes II, page 1314; Fine Bird Books page 87; Nissen IVB 532; Zimmer page 376 Sheet size (each): approx. 11.25" x 8.88" Image size (each): approx. 4.5" x 4.5" Condition: "Kamtschatkan Thrush", "Crimson-bellied Flycatcher", and "Black-headed Grosbeak" have some light offsetting to their sheets. "Spotted-sided Grosbeak" has some minor foxmarks and some light discoloration upper left in margin. They are all otherwise in very good condition with strong colors Rare Notes: Provenance: acquired from Christie's, New York, NY, December 19, 1990. Comes from Latham's famous eleven volume portfolio "A General History of Birds" (1821-1828) (second edition), which consists of 193 hand-colored prints, made from engraved plates. "Kamtschatkan Thrush" and "Crimson-bellied Flycatcher" have an unidentified "1821" watermark lower right and upper right respectively. "Spotted-sided Grosbeak" has a "1820" watermark lower right. Biography: John Latham (27 June 1740 – 4 February 1837) was an English physician, naturalist and author. His main works were A General Synopsis of Birds (1781–1801) and General History of Birds (1821–1828). He was able to examine specimens of Australian birds...
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Set of Four Hand-Colored Ornithological Engravings by John Latham /// Bird UK
By John Latham
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: John Latham (English, 1740-1837) Title: "Parrot-billed Grosbeaks", "White backed Coly", "Banksian Cockatoo", and "Variegated Tanager" Portfolio: A General History of Birds Year: 1821-1828 (second edition) Medium: Set of Four Original Hand-Colored Engravings on watermarked wove paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Jacob & Johnson, Winchester, UK Publisher: John Latham, Winchester, UK Reference: Brunet III, 872; Lowndes II, page 1314; Fine Bird Books page 87; Nissen IVB 532; Zimmer page 376 Sheet size (each): approx. 11.25" x 8.88" Image size (each): approx. 5.75" x 4.75" Condition: "Parrot-billed Grosbeaks" and "White backed Coly" have light offsetting to their sheets. "Banksian Cockatoo" and "Variegated Tanager" have moderate offsetting to their sheets. The "Variegated Tanager" also has a few light spots of discoloration at top in margins. They are all otherwise in good condition with strong colors Rare Notes: Provenance: acquired from Christie's, New York, NY, December 19, 1990. Comes from Latham's famous eleven volume portfolio "A General History of Birds" (1821-1828) (second edition), which consists of 193 hand-colored prints, made from engraved plates. "Parrot-billed Grosbeaks" and "Variegated Tanager" have an unidentified "1821" watermark lower right and upper right respectively. "Banksian Cockatoo" as a partially visible "1820?" watermark lower right. Biography: John Latham (27 June 1740 – 4 February 1837) was an English physician, naturalist and author. His main works were A General Synopsis of Birds (1781–1801) and General History of Birds (1821–1828). He was able to examine specimens of Australian birds...
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