Woodpeckers, Ceylonese Pygmy: A 19th C. Gould Hand-colored Lithograph
This is a hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Iyngipicus Gymnophthalamus" (Ceylonese Pygmy Woodpecker) by John Gould from his monograph "The Birds of Asia", published in London in 1850-1883. The print, which was drawn by Gould and W. Hart and lithographed by Hullmandel and Walton, depicts two striped brown and ivory-colored woodpeckers with white and black on their heads. One is perched on a tree limb with pea green-colored leaves and the other on a round rose, brown-colored fruit. Both are pecking at fruit.
Creator: John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter (1804 - 1881, English)
Creation Year: 1850
Dimensions: Height: 21 in (53.34 cm) Width: 14.13 in (35.9 cm)
Medium: Lithograph
Condition: See description below.
Reference #: 4550
This is a hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Iyngipicus Gymnophthalamus" (Ceylonese Pygmy Woodpecker) by John Gould from his monograph "The Birds of Asia", published in London in 1850-1883. The print, which was drawn by Gould and W. Hart and lithographed by Hullmandel and Walton, depicts two striped brown and ivory-colored woodpeckers with white and black on their heads. One is perched on a tree limb with pea green-colored leaves and the other on a round rose, brown-colored fruit. Both are pecking at fruit.
Creator: John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter (1804 - 1881, English)
Creation Year: 1850
Dimensions: Height: 21 in (53.34 cm) Width: 14.13 in (35.9 cm)
Medium: Lithograph
Condition: See description below.
Reference #: 4550
This is a hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Iyngipicus Gymnophthalamus" (Ceylonese Pygmy Woodpecker) by John Gould from his monograph "The Birds of Asia", published in London in 1850-1883. The print, which was drawn by Gould and W. Hart and lithographed by Hullmandel and Walton, depicts two striped brown and ivory-colored woodpeckers with white and black on their heads. One is perched on a tree limb with pea green-colored leaves and the other on a round rose, brown-colored fruit. Both are pecking at fruit.
Creator: John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter (1804 - 1881, English)
Creation Year: 1850
Dimensions: Height: 21 in (53.34 cm) Width: 14.13 in (35.9 cm)
Medium: Lithograph
Condition: See description below.
Reference #: 4550
This beautiful Gould hand-colored woodpecker lithograph measures 21" x 14.13". There is minimal faint focal discoloration in the lower margin. It is otherwise in excellent condition. The original text page is included with a round blindstamp in the right lower corner.
There are several other unframed Gould woodpecker and other bird lithographs available. Two or more of these would make an attractive display grouping. A discount is available for purchase of a set depending on the number.
Artist: John Gould (1804-1881]) was an English ornithologist and artist. He, like his American contemporary John James Audubon, published a number of books on birds in the mid 19th century, illustrated by hand-colored lithographs. His wife and fellow artist, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists including Edward Lear and Henry Constantine Richter produced lithographs for his various publications. He has been considered the father of bird study in Australia and the Gould League in Australia is named after him. Charles Darwin referenced Gould’s work in his book, "On the Origin of Species" and Gould named a bird after Darwin; "Darwin's finches".
Gould began his career in London as a taxidermist, but in 1827 became the first curator and conservator at the museum of the Zoological Society of London. In this position naturalists brought him collections of birds from all over the world. He began creating drawings and eventually hand-colored lithographs with his wife and Edward Lear, which were the basis for his first publications. Darwin brought him specimens from the Galapagos Islands, including 12 species of finches which had never been described. In 1838, Gould and his wife travelled to Australia and their work led to the seven volume publication of “The Birds of Australia”. Gould had a fascination for hummingbirds and collected specimens of 320 varieties before ever seeing a live hummingbird on a trip to the United States in 1857. He eventually published “A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds". Other large publications include: "The Birds of Europe"," A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans”, “A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia, and the Adjacent Islands”, “A Monograph of the Odontophorinae, or Partridges of America”, “The Birds of Asia”, “The Birds of Great Britain” and "The Birds of New Guinea and the Adjacent Papuan Islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia".
