Shelley & Keulemans's Family of Sun-Birds - Volume with 121 Originally Hand-colored Lithographs

Artist or Author: George Ernest Shelley & John Gerard Keulemans

Work: A Monograph of the Nectariniidae of the Family of Sun-Birds

Date of Publication: 1876-1880

Style: Volume with 121 Originally Hand-colored Lithographs

Paper Size: ~ 13 1/4 by 10 1/4"

Condition: The work is in good to excellent condition overall. There may be some toned or foxed spots to the work. There may be a few minor imperfections or fox marks to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.

Description of the work: This vibrant work with 121 originally hand-colored lithographs is George Ernest Shelley's A Monograph of The Nectariniidae or Family of Sun-Birds. This first edition work was published by the author in London between 1876 and 1880. Only 250 copies of the work were ever published.

The volume is bound in half leather with gilt lettering and five raised bands. The illustrations were by the celebrated J. G. Keulemans. Shelley noted his contribution and exceptional artistry, as well as incorporated his notes on the sunbirds of Prince's Island into the text. Shelley noted, "The illustrations which form such an important portion of my Monograph, have all been executed by Mr. Keulemans, whose name is sufficient guarantee for the accuracy of the details and for high artistic skill. The latter is rendered perhaps more striking from his being acquainted with this family of birds in their native haunts; and his notes upon the sun-birds inhabiting Prince's Island have been incorporated in my work".

George Ernest Shelley (1840-1910) was an English geologist and ornithologist and the nephew of the famed poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.

John Gerrard Keulemans (1842-1912) is one of the most respected bird artists whose images were noted for their fine detail. He contributed to some of the best known ornithological works including those of Elliot, Buller, Dresser, and The Ibis. According to Jackson (Bird Illustrators, p. 90) “The great value of Keulemans' work as an ornithological draughtsman lay in his sureness of design of the plate and his accuracy in portraying the birds themselves. The bird figures were carefully drawn and executed down to the last scales on the feet. The feathering was neatly delineated with the different plumes receiving sympathetic treatment.”

Provenance: Owned by Professor William Gardner Hale, top British authority on wading birds