Elliot Pheasants Pl. 42, Iris Polyplectron

About the Family of Pheasants

A sumptuous collection of hand-colored lithographic plates, Daniel Giraud Elliot’s Monograph of the Phasianidae, or Family of Pheasants is unrivaled in its depiction of the various Pheasant species. Its scale, detail, and sheer artistic mastery delight the viewer’s eye as Elliot brings to life all the members of these colorful genera hailing from around the globe including parts of Asia, Africa, and Central America. The prints were issued in six parts over the course of two years from 1870 to 1872 after which the lithography stones were destroyed, limiting the number of sets to 150.

Our Oppenheimer Editions modern prints of Daniel Giraud Elliot’s magnificent folio, A Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of Pheasants, faithfully capture the scale, detail, and artistic mastery of the original lithographs. This edition is limited to 200.

About Daniel Giraud Elliot

The artwork of the renowned 19th-century zoologist Daniel Giraud Elliot includes a monograph on the Family of Pheasants, Birds of Paradise, and Family of Cats. These lusciously colored lithographs present the animals and birds enmeshed in their natural environments. As a result of his independent wealth, Elliot spared no expense in the creation of his folios and used costly materials such as gold leaf to capture the glistening iridescence of the birds. Consequently, the costly productions were primarily obtained by only the most affluent individual and institutional clientele. In addition to his artistic works, Elliot cultivated a prolific literary career and was instrumental in developing ornithological societies and natural history institutions in America.

About Oppenheimer Editions

Established in 1999, our publishing company Oppenheimer Editions was developed in order to produce modern facsimiles of historic works of art. Marrying cutting-edge digital printing technologies with canonical works of art, Oppenheimer Editions has partnered with prestigious museums to make their holdings accessible to the public as fine art prints. Works from the New-York Historical Society’s unrivaled collections of John James Audubon’s watercolors and the Hudson River School paintings are examples of art that otherwise would be unobtainable.

Among the institutional collections we have partnered with are the American Museum of Natural History, the Field Museum, and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Our Oppenheimer Editions prints are not mere reproductions. Rather, they are limited-edition fine art prints made with the finest quality archival pigments on rag watercolor paper and executed to exacting standards.