Adorn your home with this enchanting antique original Gould Hummingbirds, Pl. 11, Rucker’s Hermit!
In this hand-colored lithograph, Gould captures the iridescent, jewel-like quality of the hummingbird through vibrant colors, nuanced details, and select application of gold leaf. This antique print is excellent as a stand-alone centerpiece or as part of a grouping. Elevate your environment with this delightful hummingbird lithograph!
About the Family of Hummingbirds
Considered John Gould’s masterpiece in both breadth and beauty, Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming Birds (1849 -1861) comprises 418 plates. Depicted and lithographed on stone by artists John Gould, Henry Constantine Richter and William Matthew Hart, each plate exquisitely portrays these delicate, evocatively colored birds with the flowers indigenous to their native habitat. Strong botanical elements add a dimension not found in other bird folios while the use of gold leaf, transparent oil colors, watercolors, lacquers, and gum arabic are combined to capture the iridescent, jewel-like quality of birds.
Experimental hand-colored color lithograph on tissue with gold leaf added to one hummingbird’s tail.
At the time of its publication, the Family of Hummingbirds was the most comprehensive illustrated folio on hummingbirds.
A complete set of John Gould’s Family of Hummingbirds folio
About John Gould
19th-century British artist John Gould enjoyed a prolific publishing career that lasted over half a century and oversaw the issuance of more than a dozen folios examining birds from all over the world. Gould recruited the talents of natural history illustrators including Edward Lear in order to create his luscious folios. Among Gould’s best-known folios are the monumental Family of Humming Birds, Birds of Europe, Birds of Great Britain, and the Family of Toucans.
For more information about Gould Hummingbirds, Pl. 11, Rucker’s Hermit, email us at [email protected] or check out our articles John Gould’s Family of Hummingbirds Lithographs and The Alchemy of Nature – Using Gold in Natural History Art.
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