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Greenland Falcon "Falco Candicans": A 19th C. Hand-colored Lithograph by Gould

Creator: Henry Constantine Richter
Offered by: Timeless Intaglio – Rare Prints, Maps & Books

Description
This is an original 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled "Falco Candicans" (Greenland Falcon Light) by John Gould, from his "Birds of Great Britain", published in London between 1862 and 1873. The print depicts three Greenland Falcons perched on rocks with the ocean and birds in flight in the background. Gould states in the preface to the publication: "Many of the public are quite unaware how the colouring of these large plates is accomplished; and not a few believe that they are produced by some mechanical process or by chromo-lithography. This, however, is not the case: every sky with its varied tints and every feather of each bird were coloured by hand; and when it is considered it will most likely cause some astonishment to those who give the subject a thought."

This striking framed Gould hand-colored lithograph is presented in an ornate gold-colored wood frame and a cream-colored French mat with a light tan band and thinner accent bands. It is augmented by a gold-colored wood fillet. The frame measures 32.13" high, 25.5" wide and 1.25" thick. The piece is in excellent condition. The descriptive page from Gould's original publication is included and it is housed in a sleeve on the back of the frame.

There are several other unframed and framed Gould bird lithographs available on our 1stdibs and InCollect storefronts. Two or more of these striking lithographs would make an attractive display grouping. A discount is available for purchase of a set depending on the number. These additional Gould hummingbirds may be viewed by typing Timeless Intaglio in the 1stdibs or InCollect search field to be taken to our storefront.

John Gould (1804-1881) was a British ornithologist, artist and illustrator. He, like his American contemporary John James Audubon, published a number of books on birds in the mid 19th century, illustrated by hand-colored lithographs. His wife and fellow artist, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists including, Edward Lear and Henry Constantine Richter produced lithographs for his various publications. He has been considered the father of bird study in Australia and the Gould League in Australia is named after him. Charles Darwin referenced Gould’s work in his book, "On the Origin of Species" and Gould named a bird after Darwin; "Darwin's finches". Gould's monumental work, "The Birds of Europe," was published between 1832 and 1837.

Gould was born in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, and began working as a taxidermist and natural history dealer in London in the 1820s. In 1827, he was appointed the first curator and conservator of birds at the Zoological Society of London, where he began to build his collection of specimens and began to study the birds of the world. In this position naturalists brought him collections of birds from all over the world. Charles Darwin brought him specimens from the Galapagos Islands, including 12 species of finches which had never been described. He began creating drawings and eventually hand-colored lithographs with his wife and Edward Lear, which were the basis for his first publications. He published his first monograph, "A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains," in 1831, which included 80 plates of Himalayan birds. In 1838, Gould and his wife travelled to Australia and their work led to the seven volume publication of “The Birds of Australia” (1840-1848). Gould had a fascination for hummingbirds and collected specimens of 320 varieties before ever seeing a live hummingbird on a trip to the United States in 1857. He eventually published “A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds". Other large publications include: "The Birds of Europe"," A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans”, “A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia, and the Adjacent Islands”, “A Monograph of the Odontophorinae, or Partridges of America”, “The Birds of Asia”, “The Birds of Great Britain” (1862-1873) and "The Birds of New Guinea and the Adjacent Papuan Islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia". His works were highly regarded for their accuracy and detail, and he was one of the most prominent ornithologists of his time.

In addition to his work as an ornithologist, Gould was also a successful businessman, and he used his profits to fund expeditions and to support the scientific community. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1843, and he was awarded the Royal Medal in 1844 and the Gold Medal of the Zoological Society in 1856. John Gould died in London in 1881 at the age of 76. He is remembered as one of the greatest ornithologists of the 19th century and as a pioneer of the scientific study of birds.

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Period:	19th Century
Condition:	Good.
Styles / Movements:	Other
Incollect Reference #:	634597

Dimensions

W.	25.5 in;	H.	32.13 in;	D.	1.25 in;
W.	64.77 cm;	H.	81.61 cm;	D.	3.18 cm;

Message from Seller:

Timeless Intaglio is an online gallery of rare and collectable antiquarian prints, maps and books. Although we specialize in all forms of vintage printed works on paper, the majority were created with the intaglio method of transferring ink from a plate, usually copper, to paper with a technique utilizing pressure generated by a press. Email us directly: rbreiman@timelessintaglio.com