John James Audubon (1785-1851). American Flamingo - Plate 375 (Bien Edition).. One of Audubon's most popular and striking ...
Description
John James Audubon (1785-1851). American Flamingo - Plate 375 (Bien Edition).One of Audubon's most popular and striking prints, this one a chromolithograph by Julius Bien, with some hand-coloring, dated 1860, from the double-elephant folio reprint edition of Audubon's The Birds of America (New York: 1858-1860). In generally good condition, this print has been fully mounted on board, with some puckering to the left side. Paper is toned and mat-burned. Closed tears and some chips to the perimeter. A few areas of paper loss, most noticeably in the bottom margin. Many closed tears and wrinkles across the print, some of which intrude into the image area. Dampstaining to lower left corner and to upper right margin. There has been recent amateur overpainting to the clouds in the center of the print, with some flaking of this new paint. 26 x 38.75 inches.
More Information:
John James Audubon (1785-1851), the Haitian-born Frenchman who spent most of his life in the United States, is, without question, the greatest and most influential painter of birds in the history of ornithological illustration. His masterpiece, the Birds of America (1827-1838), took twelve years of meticulous work to complete. The 435 hand-colored aquatint engravings, masterfully rendered by Robert Havell, were originally printed on huge double elephant folio paper, depicting North American birds in their full life-size glory. This original "Havell Edition" is the first and most sought-after printing, and it is estimated that only 175 complete sets of this edition were produced. In 1842 Audubon issued the "Octavo Edition," a smaller format (and more affordable) edition intended to reach a larger audience. The "Bien Edition"- a collection of chromolithograph reissues - appeared between 1858 and 1860, but was left incomplete as the publication was halted by the onset of the Civil War; it is estimated that only 75 sets of this edition were issued. Audubon's last work was The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, a study of mammals published in both an imperial folio format by J. T. Bowen as well as an octavo edition by Lockwood & Co. Not only was Audubon a superb wildlife painter, but he also contributed significantly to the study of bird anatomy and behavior. John James Audubon's influential and groundbreaking work occupies a monumental place of honor in the pantheon of ornithological art.
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