John Gould. Selasphorus Floresii. A charming hand-colored lithograph with iridescent highlights from Gould's Monograph of ...

Description

John Gould. Selasphorus Floresii. A charming hand-colored lithograph with iridescent highlights from Gould's Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming Birds (London: 1849-1861). Toning and mat burn. In generally very good condition.

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General toning to sheet; mat burn. Chip and short closed tear to right side. Brown reinforcing tape has been applied along three edges on the reverse, with tape extending beyond the edges and visible from the front. Light penciled notations. Approximately 14.5 x 21.75 inches.

John Gould (1804-1881), sometimes referred to as "the British Audubon" because of the impact and profound influence of his work, was a remarkably prolific artist and publisher of ornithological works. Gould studied taxidermy as a teenager, and became so expert at it that he became the first curator at the Zoological Society of London. He began drawing birds, and with the assistance of several artists (such as his wife Elizabeth and Edward Lear), his publications contained illustrations not only beautiful but scientifically accurate. His favorite work, A Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming Birds, its plates highlighted with metallic iridescent colors, has been called Gould's "masterpiece" and "among the most beautiful of Victorian illustrated books" - "a feast of beauty and a source of wonder" (Sitwell). Gould left an unparalleled body of work, and we are proud to here offer many of his beautiful imperial folio prints.