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

Yellow Hammer
(margins trimmed, size 9 1/2 by 11 1/2)
LWN73 $295

We are offering a selection of hand-colored watercolors from the FIRST EDITION of The Birds of Great Britain, with their Eggs, a work in 8 volumes with 336 plates (278 of birds, 58 of eggs), dated 1789-1794. This first edition is the rarest of all English bird books, with all 60 copies entirely hand done by William Lewin himself, with absolutely no printing involved.  He traced each image onto the paper than painted it using watercolors, making this  edition both unique and highly prized in the history of bird illustration.

William Lewin (1747-1795) was a highly regarded naturalist and natural history illustrator. His was the first attempt to include all the eggs of the British birds in a work on birds. He did not live to see the publication of his second edition, which was completed by his sons.  The illustrations are quite unlike most 18th century bird art in that they have a striking simplicity of line and a classicism that make them seem quite contemporary.  The birds are captured in captivating, lifelike poses that avoid the stiff look of many of the works of this era.

References include Fine Bird Books p.119. Dictionary of Bird Artists p. 337

Each painting measures approximately 11 inches by 13 inches on thick, creamy wove paper with some sheets bearing J Whatman watermarks. The wide margins of each page are not fully shown in the photographs. The condition is excellent for these exceptionally rare watercolors over 200 years old! Panteek acquired these unbound prints from a collector.

We accept credit cards & PayPal. 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 14 days if not satisfied. To order, you may call us at 1-888-PANTEEK, or send email to panteek@aol.com

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