Jackdaw

Artist or Author: John Gould

Work: Birds of Great Britain

Date of Publication: 1862-1873

Style: Originally Hand-colored Lithograph

Paper Size: ~ 21 1/2" by 14 1/2"

Condition: The work is in very good to excellent condition. There may be some faint text offset on some of the plates from the work. There may be a few minor imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.

Description of the work:

This remarkable folio lithograph with hand-finished color is from the esteemed John Gould’s Birds of Great Britain. The work was published in London between 1862 and 1873.

The plate available here is a pattern plate issued without text. The lithograph was used as an example in the process of publishing for how to color the rest of the plates. It is a unique opportunity to own a part of Gould's publishing process.

Birds of Great Britain allowed Gould to cultivate his aesthetic style. He created very appealing compositions often featuring nests and young with the adult species and intricate backgrounds. Gould realized that the artistry would make this work far more intriguing than its predecessor Birds of Europe and thus introduced 750 copies. Birds of Great Britain remains vastly popular today.

John Gould created nearly 3000 hand-colored plates of animals in his extensive career. Gould gained much of his knowledge by observation and experience and contributed greatly to scientific knowledge at the time. Gould is believed to have done the original sketches for all of the plates. He utilized many talented artists to help create the finished lithograph including his wife Elizabeth Coxen Gould, Edward Lear, Joseph Wolf, William Hart, and H. C. Richter. Even at the time of publication, Gould’s plates were very expensive and only sold to a small set of subscribers. Due to the limited subscriber list, the plates remain rare and of high value for collectors today.