Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

John Gould
Schistes Personata (Hummingbird)

1849-61

About the Item

JOHN GOULD A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds. Drawn and lithographed by John Gould, Elizabeth Gould, H.C. Ritcher, and W. Hart. Richard Bowler Sharp supplement 1880-87. Published by John Gould. Printed by Hullmandel and Watson. London, 1849-61. Lithographs with original hand-color. Excepting the supplement, most with gold leaf illumination. 418 plates. John Gould was the most prolific ornithologist and recorder of birds in England during the 19th century. Born a gardener's son, he was raised on the royal estate at Windsor. He became a gardener at Ripley Castle, where he learned the art of taxidermy, a skill so useful in his future career. In 1827, N.A. Vigors required a taxidermist for the newly formed Zoological Society of London; the job came to Gould who moved to London and married Elizabeth Coxen. She was to become a skilled collaborator, both as draughtsman and as supervisor in the lithographic shop. It was Elizabeth who was responsible for transferring the drawings made by Gould, from the specimens sent to him from all over the world, onto lithographic stone. Unable to find a publisher, Gould resolved to publish his works himself. Illustrating over 3000 species of birds and animals and producing over forty folio volumes, Gould's works became great financial successes. He realized a considerable fortune. The most well known prints are from his outstanding monograph on hummingbirds. They are unequaled in the history of ornithology. The brilliant coloring is highlighted with gold and a transparent luster creating metallic hues, a technique which has never been successfully reproduced. The birds appear in charming groups of twos and threes surrounded by realistic foliage. Each bird is drawn to scale and is anatomically correct to the smallest detail. References: John Gould’s Hummingbirds. Wellfleet Press. New Jersey, 1990. Nature into Art. Handasyde Buchanan. Mayflower Books. New York ,1979. John Gould’s Birds. Introduction by Maureen Lambourne. New York: A&W Publishers, 1981 John Gould the Bird Man, Gordon C. Sauer, University Press of Kansas, 1982.
  • Creator:
    John Gould (1804 - 1881, British)
  • Creation Year:
    1849-61
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 32.5 in (82.55 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Clean, crisp image. Original hand-coloring and gold leaf. Framed to museum specifications using archival matting, backing, hinging. Glazed with ultra-violet filtering Plexiglas.
  • Gallery Location:
    Florham Park, NJ
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 2015 07-15-151stDibs: LU652479082
More From This SellerView All
  • Oreo Trochilus Leucopleurus (Hummingbird)
    By John Gould
    Located in Florham Park, NJ
    JOHN GOULD A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds. Drawn and lithographed by John Gould, Elizabeth Gould, H.C. Ritcher, and W. Hart. Richard Bowler Sharp supplement 1880-87. Published by John Gould. Printed by Hullmandel and Watson. London, 1849-61. Lithographs with original hand-color. Excepting the supplement, most with gold leaf illumination. 418 plates. John Gould was the most prolific ornithologist and recorder of birds in England during the 19th century. Born a gardener's son, he was raised on the royal estate at Windsor. He became a gardener at Ripley Castle, where he learned the art of taxidermy, a skill so useful in his future career. In 1827, N.A. Vigors required a taxidermist for the newly formed Zoological Society of London; the job came to Gould who moved to London and married Elizabeth Coxen. She was to become a skilled collaborator, both as draughtsman and as supervisor in the lithographic shop. It was Elizabeth who was responsible for transferring the drawings made by Gould, from the specimens sent to him from all over the world, onto lithographic stone. Unable to find a publisher, Gould resolved to publish his works himself. Illustrating over 3000 species of birds and animals and producing over forty folio volumes, Gould's works became great financial successes. He realized a considerable fortune. The most well known prints are from his outstanding monograph on hummingbirds. They are unequaled in the history of ornithology. The brilliant coloring is highlighted with gold and a transparent luster creating metallic hues, a technique which has never been successfully reproduced. The birds appear in charming groups of twos and threes surrounded by realistic foliage. Each bird is drawn to scale and is anatomically correct to the smallest detail. References: John Gould’s Hummingbirds...
    Category

    Mid-19th Century Academic Prints and Multiples

    Materials

    Gold Leaf

  • Meriana (Bugle Lily)
    By Georg Dionysius Ehret
    Located in Florham Park, NJ
    GEORGE DIONSYSIUS EHRET (1708-1770). Plantae Selectae.... Text by Dr. Christoph Trew. Drawn by Georg Dionsysius Ehret. Engraved by Johannes Jacobus and Johannes Elias Haid. Nuremberg, 1750-73. Hand-colored engravings. Titles highlighted with goldleaf. 100 plates. 19.5” x 13.5” Unframed. A supplement of 20 plates issued by B.C. Vogel in 1790. "The dominant influence in botanical art during the middle years of the 18th century." "One of the finest records of cultivated flowers..." "His accuracy and general excellence as a true botanical artist have never been equaled." Ehret’s praises have been sung throughout the centuries. While his training was in gardening, Ehret's true talents were in his art. Drawing the specimens from life in the garden's in which he labored won Ehret his employer's praise and his co-workers jealousy. Not only were his botanical portraits highly accurate in every technical detail, they reflected an awe-inspiring love of subject. A restless man, Ehret wandered from Heidelberg through Germany to Vienna and Basle, working his way to Paris and finally settling in London. He was honored by peers and patrons wherever he traveled. Ehret's list of benefactors include the most brilliant and generous members of society in his day. However, it was Christoph Trew, a wealthy physician, lifelong supporter and friend, who published the work for which Ehret is best known, Plantae Selectae. Ehret went to Leiden to meet Carolus Linnaeus and they became the best of friends. It is the Linnaen classification of plants to which Ehret subscribed. In distinguishing of the sexual systems of plants and the cross-sectioning of specimens, based on the teachings of Linnaeus, Ehret's illustrations have become the standard followed by horticulturists throughout the centuries. Ehret is the only foreigner to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in England. The illustrations for Plantae Selectae were printed in black and white and painstaking colored by hand at the time of publication. The color is superb! All of the initial words of the titles were gilded; a glorious tribute to an achievement of excellence. Various scholars at the time of publication praised the book highly, singling out the excellent quality of Ehret's watercolor studies, as well as Haid's fidelity to them. In a letter to Linnaeus in the 1750's, Dr. Trew called the book "one of the miracles of our century in the natural sciences." In the 1960's, Claus Nissen wrote "the Plantae Selectae became the most beautiful German plant...
    Category

    1750s Academic Prints and Multiples

    Materials

    Gold Leaf

  • Guanabanus (Guabana or Soursop Fruit)
    By Georg Dionysius Ehret
    Located in Florham Park, NJ
    GEORGE DIONSYSIUS EHRET (1708-1770). Plantae Selectae.... Text by Dr. Christoph Trew. Drawn by Georg Dionsysius Ehret. Engraved by Johannes Jacobus and Johannes Elias Haid. Nuremberg, 1750-73. Hand-colored engravings. Titles highlighted with goldleaf. 100 plates. 19.5” x 13.5” Unframed. A supplement of 20 plates issued by B.C. Vogel in 1790. "The dominant influence in botanical art during the middle years of the 18th century." "One of the finest records of cultivated flowers..." "His accuracy and general excellence as a true botanical artist have never been equaled." Ehret’s praises have been sung throughout the centuries. While his training was in gardening, Ehret's true talents were in his art. Drawing the specimens from life in the garden's in which he labored won Ehret his employer's praise and his co-workers jealousy. Not only were his botanical portraits highly accurate in every technical detail, they reflected an awe-inspiring love of subject. A restless man, Ehret wandered from Heidelberg through Germany to Vienna and Basle, working his way to Paris and finally settling in London. He was honored by peers and patrons wherever he traveled. Ehret's list of benefactors include the most brilliant and generous members of society in his day. However, it was Christoph Trew, a wealthy physician, lifelong supporter and friend, who published the work for which Ehret is best known, Plantae Selectae. Ehret went to Leiden to meet Carolus Linnaeus and they became the best of friends. It is the Linnaen classification of plants to which Ehret subscribed. In distinguishing of the sexual systems of plants and the cross-sectioning of specimens, based on the teachings of Linnaeus, Ehret's illustrations have become the standard followed by horticulturists throughout the centuries. Ehret is the only foreigner to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in England. The illustrations for Plantae Selectae were printed in black and white and painstaking colored by hand at the time of publication. The color is superb! All of the initial words of the titles were gilded; a glorious tribute to an achievement of excellence. Various scholars at the time of publication praised the book highly, singling out the excellent quality of Ehret's watercolor studies, as well as Haid's fidelity to them. In a letter to Linnaeus in the 1750's, Dr. Trew called the book "one of the miracles of our century in the natural sciences." In the 1960's, Claus Nissen wrote "the Plantae Selectae became the most beautiful German plant...
    Category

    1750s Academic Prints and Multiples

    Materials

    Gold Leaf

  • Urtica (Nettle)
    By Georg Dionysius Ehret
    Located in Florham Park, NJ
    GEORGE DIONSYSIUS EHRET (1708-1770). Plantae Selectae.... Text by Dr. Christoph Trew. Drawn by Georg Dionsysius Ehret. Engraved by Johannes Jacobus and Johannes Elias Haid. Nuremberg...
    Category

    1750s Academic Prints and Multiples

    Materials

    Gold Leaf

  • Heliocarpus (Tree, Malvales)
    By Georg Dionysius Ehret
    Located in Florham Park, NJ
    GEORGE DIONSYSIUS EHRET (1708-1770). Plantae Selectae.... Text by Dr. Christoph Trew. Drawn by Georg Dionsysius Ehret. Engraved by Johannes Jacobus and Johannes Elias Haid. Nuremberg, 1750-73. Hand-colored engravings. Titles highlighted with goldleaf. 100 plates. 19.5” x 13.5” Unframed. A supplement of 20 plates issued by B.C. Vogel in 1790. "The dominant influence in botanical art during the middle years of the 18th century." "One of the finest records of cultivated flowers..." "His accuracy and general excellence as a true botanical artist have never been equaled." Ehret’s praises have been sung throughout the centuries. While his training was in gardening, Ehret's true talents were in his art. Drawing the specimens from life in the garden's in which he labored won Ehret his employer's praise and his co-workers jealousy. Not only were his botanical portraits highly accurate in every technical detail, they reflected an awe-inspiring love of subject. A restless man, Ehret wandered from Heidelberg through Germany to Vienna and Basle, working his way to Paris and finally settling in London. He was honored by peers and patrons wherever he traveled. Ehret's list of benefactors include the most brilliant and generous members of society in his day. However, it was Christoph Trew, a wealthy physician, lifelong supporter and friend, who published the work for which Ehret is best known, Plantae Selectae. Ehret went to Leiden to meet Carolus Linnaeus and they became the best of friends. It is the Linnaen classification of plants to which Ehret subscribed. In distinguishing of the sexual systems of plants and the cross-sectioning of specimens, based on the teachings of Linnaeus, Ehret's illustrations have become the standard followed by horticulturists throughout the centuries. Ehret is the only foreigner to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in England. The illustrations for Plantae Selectae were printed in black and white and painstaking colored by hand at the time of publication. The color is superb! All of the initial words of the titles were gilded; a glorious tribute to an achievement of excellence. Various scholars at the time of publication praised the book highly, singling out the excellent quality of Ehret's watercolor studies, as well as Haid's fidelity to them. In a letter to Linnaeus in the 1750's, Dr. Trew called the book "one of the miracles of our century in the natural sciences." In the 1960's, Claus Nissen wrote "the Plantae Selectae became the most beautiful German plant...
    Category

    1750s Academic Prints and Multiples

    Materials

    Gold Leaf

  • Monarda (aka Bee Balm, Bergamot)
    By Georg Dionysius Ehret
    Located in Florham Park, NJ
    GEORGE DIONSYSIUS EHRET (1708-1770). Plantae Selectae.... Text by Dr. Christoph Trew. Drawn by Georg Dionsysius Ehret. Engraved by Johannes Jacobus and Johannes Elias Haid. Nure...
    Category

    18th Century and Earlier Academic Prints and Multiples

    Materials

    Gold Leaf

You May Also Like

Recently Viewed

View All