While our images are electronically watermarked, the antique prints themselves are not.

Metallura Cupreicauda GHB202 $895
Each print measures approximately 14 1/4 inches by 21 1/4 inches.

We are delighted to offer these superb ORIGINAL hand-colored lithographs of hummingbirds from "John Gould’s Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Hummingbirds", volume III, published  in 1861. John Gould was a self-taught English naturalist, gifted artist & talented taxidermist. A man of vision, with a talent for organization and administration, he founded an empire for ornithological illustration, publishing more than forty large folio volumes. These works contain over 3,000 plates, all superbly drawn and meticulously hand colored. The first work appeared in 1831 and the last in 1888, seven years after Gould's death.

His was a true Horatio Alger story, beginning with humble origins as the son of a gardener. He learned taxidermy at an early age, becoming a taxidermist for the Zoological Society of London in 1827. During this same year he married Elizabeth Coxen, who embraced his ambitions ardently and can be credited with much of his success. Though Gould sketched the outline designs of every plate himself, many of the finished drawings, transfers to lithographic stone & hand coloring were her work.
Credit should also be given to his talented secretary Edwin Charles Prince, and the team of gifted artists assembled to complete these tremendous publications. These included E. Lear, J. Wolf, W.M. Hart & H. C. Richter. By mid life Gould was recognized as an ornithological authority and a man of science & in 1843 was elected Fellow of the Royal Society.

His first work was "A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains", published in 1831. Unlike many of his peers, he was a consummate businessman and skilful marketer, so his works became very successful early on. This provided funding for his travel to far flung parts of the world such as Australia, America and New Guinea to observe and sketch the species of these countries.

The inspiration for his work on hummingbirds was derived from travels in America. All of his works were very expensive at the time of publication, and could only be purchased by the very wealthy. It is estimated that only about 250 copies of the hummingbirds were produced, so these prints are a rare treasure indeed. Originally published in 25 parts with a 5 part supplement, the last three parts of the supplement were published posthumously by Sharpe.

Of these six volumes of hummingbirds, consisting of 418 hand colored plates, even fewer have the highly prized gold or silver iridescence, produced by layering gold or silver leaf under the watercolor paint to mirror the shimmering beauty of each bird.  This process is now lost to modern colorists and has become the hallmark of authenticity for Gould hummingbirds, as many now offered on the market are later editions without the characteristic gilding.   So it is with great pleasure that we offer this authentic ollection of hummingbird prints, most with the treasured iridescence, all from volume volume III, with the largest and showiest species.  Donald Heald, the renowned American Book dealer, calls this volume "the distilled essence of a masterpiece...the heart of the work"

These prints are on fine heavy paper in excellent condition, measuring approximately 14 1/4" by 21 1/4", accompanied by the original descriptive text & a copy of the title page to volume III.   The provenance is the collection of Lord Kennet of the Dene.  References: Fine Bird Books, p.102, Bird Artists of the World, p. 259.

We accept credit cards, PayPal, checks, and money orders. Florida state residents pay Florida state sales tax. Shipping for this item is $12.95. Items can be combined to save on postage. International shipping starts at $40, but may be more depending on the size of the prints and the country. Buyers are responsible for all customs duties. Our environment is smoke free. We pack professionally using only new materials. All items are beautifully wrapped and suitable for sending directly as gifts. You may return any item within 7 days if not satisfied. To order, you may call us at 1-888-PANTEEK or email.