Name: Pelican Bird: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi
Brand: Ulisse Aldrovandi
Rating: 5 (38 reviews)

Pelican Bird: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi

View Similar Items

John James Audubon - "Esquimaux Curlew": A Framed Original Audubon Hand-colored Folio Engraving

Ulisse Aldrovandi - Eagle: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi

Ulisse Aldrovandi - Bird of Prey: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi

Johann Elias Ridinger - A Pair of Hand Colored Engravings of an African Lioness and her Cubs and a Rhino

Francois Nicolas Martinet - A Pair of Woodpeckers: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet

Francois Nicolas Martinet - Red & Black Woodpeckers: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet

Francois Nicolas Martinet - Bird of Prey: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet

Francois Nicolas Martinet - Black Guillemot: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet

Francois Nicolas Martinet - Colorful Parrot: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet

Francois Nicolas Martinet - Turtledove of Senegal: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet

Francois Nicolas Martinet - Turtledove: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet

About the Item

This very rare, first edition, folio hand-colored engraving of a Pelican bird is plate 48 from Ulisse Aldrovandi’s 'Opera Omnia', published between 1599 and 1648 in Bologna, Italy by Clemente Ferroni, Niccolo Tebaldini, & Giovanni Battista Bellagamba. The publication was a massive, 13 volume, natural history encyclopedia, which was the first to publish an image of toucan and bird of paradise birds. In addition to illustrations and descriptions of animals, plants and minerals, it featured fantastic “monsters”, including dragons. Only four of the volumes credited to Aldrovandi appeared in his life time. He was aware that the enormity of his task would stretch beyond his lifetime. He hoped that his own pupils would continue the unfinished business of writing the definitive history of nature. At the end of his life, his literary production totaled more than 400 volumes, a number that he claimed would take more than a century to print. As he had hoped, his students used his manuscripts to complete the remainder of his work. It was the largest collection of natural history illustrations to appear before the 18th century. This beautiful hand-colored wood-cut engraving on chain-linked laid paper depicts a Pelican bird standing on a small island surrounded by water, with a flowering plant rising above the surface of the water in front of the pelican. There is a large uncolored bird on the verso, possibly a bird of prey, feeding chicks in a nest by puncturing its own abdomen. The sheet measures 14" x 9.25". There is ghosting of the image from the verso, but it is otherwise in excellent condition. It is rare to find individual engravings from Aldrovandi's work for sale. A set of the 13 volumes is currently available for over $312,000. Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605) was an Italian botanist, pharmacologist, and noted author. He was a genuine "Renaissance Man". He studied mathematics, Latin, law, and philosophy, eventually earning a degree in medicine in 1553. In 1549 he was arrested in Bologna for heresy and sent to Rome where he managed to exonerate himself, likely due to his parents' nobility. Aldrovandi was a dedicated collector of biological and other natural history specimens. He developed a system of classification for his specimens which contributed to subsequent systems of animal taxonomy. In this words, he described his scientific endeavors; ‘And with all this I have kept three scribes in my house, excellent painters, designers, engravers, and have spent much on transportation [of artifacts] and on a library that can stand up to any other particular library in Italy.’ His personal natural history collection is now on display at the University in Bologna, where he was a full professor. He founded The University of Bologna Botanical Gardens, one of the oldest in Italy. He was also appointed the inspector of drugs and pharmacies by Pope Gregory XIII. The Pope became a benefactor, supporting Aldrovandi's natural history work.

Creator:
Ulisse Aldrovandi
Creation Year:
1599
Dimensions:
Height: 9.25 in (23.5 cm)Diameter: 14 in (35.56 cm)
Medium:
Engraving
Movement & Style:
Naturalistic
Period:
Early 17th Century
Framing:
Framing Options Available
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Alamo, CA
Reference Number:
Seller: # 44331stDibs: LU117327282402

More From This Seller

View All

"Esquimaux Curlew": A Framed Original Audubon Hand-colored Folio Engraving

By John James Audubon

Located in Alamo, CA

This is an original hand-colored folio edition John James Audubon engraving entitled "Esquimaux Curlew", Folio, Pl. CCVIII", No. 42, Plate 208, from Audubon's "Birds of America". It was engraved, printed and colored in London by Robert Havell, Jr. in 1834. It depicts a male and a female Esquimaux Curlew birds...

Category

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Engraving

John James Audubon
"Esquimaux Curlew": A Framed Original Audubon Hand-colored Folio Engraving, 1834

$3,775

Eagle: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi

By Ulisse Aldrovandi

Located in Alamo, CA

This very rare, first edition, folio hand-colored engraving of an eagle is plate 215 from Ulisse Aldrovandi’s 'Opera Omnia', published between 1599 a...

Category

Early 17th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Engraving

Ulisse Aldrovandi
Eagle: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi, 1599

$675

Eagle: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi

By Ulisse Aldrovandi

Located in Alamo, CA

This very rare, first edition, folio hand-colored engraving of an eagle is plate K2 from Ulisse Aldrovandi’s 'Opera Omnia', published between 1599 an...

Category

Early 17th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Engraving

Ulisse Aldrovandi
Eagle: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi, 1599

$675

Bird of Prey: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi

By Ulisse Aldrovandi

Located in Alamo, CA

This very rare, first edition, folio hand-colored woodcut engraving of a bird of prey is plate 219 from Ulisse Aldrovandi’s 'Opera Omnia', published ...

Category

Early 17th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Engraving

Ulisse Aldrovandi
Bird of Prey: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi, 1599

$675

A Pair of Hand Colored Engravings of an African Lioness and her Cubs and a Rhino

By Johann Elias Ridinger

Located in Alamo, CA

A pair of 18th century hand colored copperplate engravings entitled "Felis Leo Linn Femina" and "Rhinoceros Unicornis Linn" from Dr. Johann Schreber's Die Sa...

Category

1770s Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Engraving

Johann Elias Ridinger
A Pair of Hand Colored Engravings of an African Lioness and her Cubs and a Rhino, 1775

$1,175

A Pair of Woodpeckers: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet

By François Nicolas Martinet

Located in Alamo, CA

This is an original 18th century hand-colored copperplate engraving of male and female woodpecker birds entitled "1. Pie Male de la Encenada, 2. Petit Pic des Moluques (Woodpeckers)"...

Category

1760s Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Engraving

François Nicolas Martinet
A Pair of Woodpeckers: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet, 1765

$575

1770s Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Engraving

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
Greyhound, 1773-1778

$660

Stow Wengenroth, Friendly Neighbors (Birds)

By Stow Wengenroth

Located in New York, NY

Edition of 80. Signed and numbered in pencil. Really, no one could draw on a lithographic stone like Stow Wengenroth. He drew many animals and birds...

Category

Mid-20th Century Naturalistic Landscape Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Stow Wengenroth
Stow Wengenroth, Friendly Neighbors (Birds), 1964

$900

American Crow 1858 Chromolithograph by J.J. Audubon Plate, Julius Bien Edition

By John James Audubon

Located in Paonia, CO

American Crow by J.J. Audubon from his Birds of America folio shows an adult male crow in a Black Walnut bush with a nest of a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird in a branch below the crow. This original chromolithograph plate no. 226 is in good condition with a repairable water mark in the image on the left side as can be seen in the photos. The ” Birds of America” by John James...

Category

1850s Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

John James Audubon
American Crow 1858 Chromolithograph by J.J. Audubon Plate, Julius Bien Edition, 1858

$5,200 Sale Price

20% Off

The Boarhound

Located in Columbia, MO

The Boarhound 1887 Etching 3 x 5

Category

Late 19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Etching

L. Wells
The Boarhound, 1887

$145

The Spanish Pointer

Located in Columbia, MO

The Spanish Pointer 1887 Etching 3 x 5

Category

Late 19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Etching

L. Wells
The Spanish Pointer, 1887

$145

"Hecate, " Second Cross from the Bulldog

Located in Columbia, MO

"Hecate, " Second Cross from the Bulldog 1887 Etching 3 x 5

Category

Late 19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Etching

L. Wells
"Hecate, " Second Cross from the Bulldog, 1887

$145

More Ways To Browse

Antique Bird Nest Prints

16th Century Colored Engraving

Medinet Abou Thebes David Roberts

Mervin Allen Corning On Sale

Michael Naranjo

Michel Delacroix Night

Mickey Ben Allen

Mikkelsen Sonner

Miroir Couleur

Pelican Bird: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi

View Similar Items

Ulisse Aldrovandi
Pelican Bird: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi
1599

About the Item

More From This Seller

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

John James Audubon
"Esquimaux Curlew": A Framed Original Audubon Hand-colored Folio Engraving, 1834

Early 17th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Ulisse Aldrovandi
Eagle: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi, 1599

Early 17th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Ulisse Aldrovandi
Eagle: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi, 1599

Early 17th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Ulisse Aldrovandi
Bird of Prey: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi, 1599

1770s Naturalistic Animal Prints

Johann Elias Ridinger
A Pair of Hand Colored Engravings of an African Lioness and her Cubs and a Rhino, 1775

1760s Naturalistic Animal Prints

François Nicolas Martinet
A Pair of Woodpeckers: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet, 1765

You May Also Like

1770s Naturalistic Animal Prints

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
Greyhound, 1773-1778

Mid-20th Century Naturalistic Landscape Prints

Stow Wengenroth
Stow Wengenroth, Friendly Neighbors (Birds), 1964

1850s Naturalistic Animal Prints

John James Audubon
American Crow 1858 Chromolithograph by J.J. Audubon Plate, Julius Bien Edition, 1858

Late 19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

L. Wells
The Boarhound, 1887

Late 19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

L. Wells
The Spanish Pointer, 1887

Late 19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

L. Wells
"Hecate, " Second Cross from the Bulldog, 1887

Recently Viewed

More Ways To Browse

Pelican Bird: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi

View Similar Items

Ulisse AldrovandiPelican Bird: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi1599

About the Item

More From This Seller

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

John James Audubon"Esquimaux Curlew": A Framed Original Audubon Hand-colored Folio Engraving, 1834

Early 17th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Ulisse AldrovandiEagle: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi, 1599

Early 17th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Ulisse AldrovandiEagle: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi, 1599

Early 17th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Ulisse AldrovandiBird of Prey: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi, 1599

1770s Naturalistic Animal Prints

Johann Elias RidingerA Pair of Hand Colored Engravings of an African Lioness and her Cubs and a Rhino, 1775

1760s Naturalistic Animal Prints

François Nicolas MartinetA Pair of Woodpeckers: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet, 1765

You May Also Like

1770s Naturalistic Animal Prints

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de BuffonGreyhound, 1773-1778

Mid-20th Century Naturalistic Landscape Prints

Stow WengenrothStow Wengenroth, Friendly Neighbors (Birds), 1964

1850s Naturalistic Animal Prints

John James AudubonAmerican Crow 1858 Chromolithograph by J.J. Audubon Plate, Julius Bien Edition, 1858

Late 19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

L. WellsThe Boarhound, 1887

Late 19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

L. WellsThe Spanish Pointer, 1887

Late 19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

L. Wells"Hecate, " Second Cross from the Bulldog, 1887

Recently Viewed

More Ways To Browse

Ulisse Aldrovandi
Pelican Bird: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi
1599

John James Audubon
"Esquimaux Curlew": A Framed Original Audubon Hand-colored Folio Engraving, 1834

Ulisse Aldrovandi
Eagle: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi, 1599

Ulisse Aldrovandi
Eagle: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi, 1599

Ulisse Aldrovandi
Bird of Prey: A 16th/17th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Aldrovandi, 1599

Johann Elias Ridinger
A Pair of Hand Colored Engravings of an African Lioness and her Cubs and a Rhino, 1775

François Nicolas Martinet
A Pair of Woodpeckers: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet, 1765

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
Greyhound, 1773-1778

Stow Wengenroth
Stow Wengenroth, Friendly Neighbors (Birds), 1964

John James Audubon
American Crow 1858 Chromolithograph by J.J. Audubon Plate, Julius Bien Edition, 1858

L. Wells
The Boarhound, 1887

L. Wells
The Spanish Pointer, 1887

L. Wells
"Hecate, " Second Cross from the Bulldog, 1887