Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon Animal Prints

The engraving "The Pink Of Condition" by George Wright was published in London in 1909. It depicts the beginning of a British fox hunting scene. The ...

Artist: William Augustus Osbaldiston (English, Active: Late 18th Century) Titles: "Coursing" (Plate 3), "Hawking" (Plate 7), and "Hare Hunting" (Plate 8) Portfolio: The British Sport...

This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "Yellow Crowned Night Heron, 1. Adult Male Spring Plumage, 2. Young in October", No. 73, Plate 364 from Audubo...

Artist: William Augustus Osbaldiston (English, Active: Late 18th Century) Title: "Lincolnshire Sheep" (Plate 9) Portfolio: The British Sportsman, or, Nobleman, Gentleman, and Farmer'...

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...

Artist: William Augustus Osbaldiston (English, Active: Late 18th Century) Title: "Wild Fowl Shooting" (Plate 2) Portfolio: The British Sportsman, or, Nobleman, Gentleman, and Farmer'...

Artist: Saverio Manetti (Italian, 1723-1785) Title: "Sparrowhawk" (Plate XXI - 21) Portfolio: Storia Naturale Degli Uccelli (The Natural History of Birds) Year: 1767-1776 Medium: Original Hand-Colored Engraving on watermarked laid paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Unknown Publisher: heirs of Francesco Mouck (Vols. I-III), Gaetano Cambiagi (Vol. IV), Giuseppe Vanni (Vol. V), Florence, Italy Reference: Ayer/Zimmer page 241; Fine Bird Books page 120; McGill/Wood, page 450; Nissen IVB No. 588 Sheet size: 17.88" x 14.07" Platemark size: 13.69" x 11.69" Condition: A few small minor areas of discoloration in margins. Has been professionally stored away for decades. In excellent condition with strong colors Rare Notes: Engraved and hand-colored by Italian artists Lorenzo Lorenzi (Active: 1750-1780) and Violante Vanni (1732-1776). Latin and Italian texts by Saverio Manetti. Comes from Manetti's monumental five volume "Storia Naturale Degli Uccelli (The Natural History of Birds)", (1767-1776), which consists of 600 hand-colored engravings. Unidentified watermark in center of sheet. The Eurasian sparrowhawk, also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred underparts; females and juveniles are brown above with brown barring below. Manetti's extraordinary "Storia Naturale Degli Uccelli (The Natural History of Birds)", 1767-1776 was commissioned by Maria Luisa, the Grand Duchess of Tuscany. It is a massive 5 book volume set of 600 hand-colored engraved plates of birds. Engraved and hand-colored by Italian artists Lorenzo Lorenzi (Active: 1750-1780) and Violante Vanni (1732-1776). Latin and Italian texts by Manetti. Manetti created the drawings almost exclusively from real specimens, beginning with the extensive collection of Marquis Giovanni Gerini, an affluent Florentine Senator. Manetti saw the work was published in parts of 12 plates, issued every two months or so, most plates dedicated to a prominent member of the Italian nobility and gentry. Printed on handmade watermarked laid paper and published by heirs of Francesco Mouck (Vols. I-III), Gaetano Cambiagi (Vol. IV), Giuseppe Vanni (Vol. V), between 1767-1776 in Florence, Italy. It took 10 years to complete and at its time, was one of the largest surveys of ornithology attempted and the finest set of bird books to ever be created. Biography: Francesco Saverio Manetti...

This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored royal octavo lithograph entitled "Washington Sea Eagle", No. 3, Plate 13, from Audubon's "Birds of America". It was lithographed, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen and published in Philadelphia between 1856-1871. It depicts an adult male sea eagle perched on a rock. This is an excerpt from Audubon's own description of this magnificent eagle, which includes how he came up with the name "Washington Sea Eagle": "The name which I have chosen for this new species of Eagle, “The Bird of Washington,” may, by some, be considered as preposterous and unfit; but as it is indisputably the noblest bird of its genus that has yet been discovered in the United States, I trust I shall be allowed to honour it with the name of one yet nobler, who was the saviour of his country, and whose name will ever be dear, to it. To those who may be curious to know my reasons, I can only say, that, as the new world gave me birth and liberty, the great man who ensured its independence is next to my heart. He had a nobility of mind, and a generosity of soul, such as are seldom possessed. He was brave, so is the Eagle; like it, too, he was the terror of his foes; and his fame, extending from pole to pole, resembles the majestic soarings of the mightiest of the feathered tribe...

Artist: François-Nicolas Martinet (French, 1731-1800) Title: "Sacelle male, de la cote de Coromandel" (Plate 949) Portfolio: Histoire Naturelle Des Oiseaux *Signed by Martinet in the...

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...

Artist: William MacGillivray (Scottish, 1796-1852) Title: "Lepidoptera (Butterflies)" (Plate XII) Portfolio: The Edinburgh Journal of Natural History, and of The Physical Sciences Ye...

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...