Antique Prints, Maps, & Books of Natural History, Botanicals, & More
Lot 605:
Description
This charming volume of engravings is from Sir William Jardine’s work
The Naturalist’s Library. The work was published in 1843 in London & Edinburgh. Each volume features a memoir of a prominent man.
This volume is in red hard cloth binding, with embossed board, and gold gilt design and details, including gold gilt lettering to the spine. There are 30 originally hand-colored engravings of parrots, cockatoos, and macaws. The frontispiece features a hand-colored illustration as well and a portrait of Thomas Bewick. It also includes a memoir of Thomas Bewick by Rev. William Turner, Jr.
Each steel engraved plate features an animal presented in nature. The backgrounds for each plate are left uncolored, while the figure was originally hand-colored at the time of printing. The engravings for this work were based off many of the predominant artists in the field of natural history including John James Audubon, John Gould, Maria Sybilla Merian, William Swainson, Edward Lear, Prideaux, and John Selby.
The Naturalist’s Library was published to be accessible to a wide audience of natural history enthusiasts. Most importantly the work was intended to educate the youth, and thus why the work was published in a small octavo size. The work was much more affordable than others available at the time and illustrated many subjects of natural history including, birds, animals, fish and insects.
Sir William Jardine (1800-1874) was a talented Scottish naturalist. Some of his original work is in the London Natural History Museum and the Royal Scottish Museum. Jardine contributed most of the text for his works.
Paper Size: ~ 4 1/2" by 7"
Paper Type or Special Features: Volume 10 with 30 Originally Hand-colored Engravings of Parrots, Cockatoos, & Macaws
Condition report:
The work is in very good to excellent condition overall. There is some discoloration to spine and outer boards, some chipping and cracking from wear 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.
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