John Gould Fairy Martin. Chelidon Ariel, Bird of Australia c1840-1848

by Gould, John

John Gould Chelidon Ariel, Fairy Martin with amazing nest. Antique print c1848.

Original hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter for Gould's “Birds of Australia ” (the finest series ever done on Australian Birds), published in London between 1840 and 1848 by "The Bird Man", John Gould (1804-1881).

John Gould was a brilliant ornithologist who devoted his life to the study of birds, Gould had a fine eye for detail and knew his limitations as an artist. Also a very successful businessman, he employed the finest lithographers of the day and closely monitored their work. Whilst most people have heard of John Gould, many are unaware that his artist wife Elizabeth Coxen (1804-1841) (who had been trained in lithography by Edward Lear), came to Australia with her husband, remained in Tasmania with her children and her sister-in-law, and composed many of the drawings. After completing over 600 lithographs, she died at the age of 37, following the birth of their eighth child after their return to England.

In good condition except for tiny foxing spot on left. (Discounted accordingly.) Despite this, the digital photo does not do it justice. We provide a close up of the bird to show the fine detail of the lithograph. The size of the page is as issued is  535 mm x 370 mm (21 inches x  14.5 inches).