George Edwards Decorative Art
Known today as the Father of British Ornithology, George Edwards was a draftsman and naturalist who popularized the art of bird and animal illustrations throughout the 18th century. His main collections of etchings, which were bound as the volumes A Natural History of Uncommon Birds and Gleaning of Natural History, together comprise more than 600 animals and were the first works to delineate many of the featured species.
Edwards cultivated an interest in natural history while traveling around Europe, becoming particularly enamored with birds. Upon his return to the United Kingdom, in 1733, Irish physicist Hans Sloane, an acquaintance of British naturalists/illustrators Eleazar Albin and Mark Catesby, offered Edwards a librarian position at the Royal College of Physicians. The job granted him access to a large collection of works on natural history, which he explored enthusiastically.
With instruction from Catesby, Edwards learned etching and spent much of his time preparing plates and drawings for his books. While Edwards hand-colored his early editions, later works were colored in by other artists, like British artist Peter Paillou, allowing Edwards to focus on etching and writing.
George Edwards earned his reputation for both his illustrations and written descriptions of his subjects — widely acclaimed for their accuracy. Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus cited Edwards’s texts when developing his major work, Systema Naturæ. The Royal Society in London awarded Edwards the Copley Medal in 1750 for outstanding achievement in the field of science. Edwards retired in 1763 to Plaistow, England, and died in 1773.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of George Edwards engravings and wall decorations.
Mid-18th Century English Georgian Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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Mid-18th Century English Georgian Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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18th Century Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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18th Century French Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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Late 18th Century French Neoclassical Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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Late 18th Century French Provincial Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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Late 18th Century French Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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1930s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Edwards Decorative Art
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1840s English Folk Art Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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1830s English Folk Art Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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Early 1700s English Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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1830s English Regency Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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1840s English Folk Art Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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18th Century French Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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1740s English Georgian Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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1740s English Georgian Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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1740s English Georgian Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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Mid-18th Century English Georgian Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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1730s English Georgian Antique George Edwards Decorative Art
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