John Gould Mareca Punctata / John Gould Anas Punctata

Reproduction print published in 1982 and limited to 500 copies. The image is from a hand-coloured lithograph of the famous "Birds of Australia" by John Gould, published in London between 1840 and 1848. The original image was lithographed by Henry Richter from the drawing by  John Gould.

John Gould, known as "the Bird Man", was a naturalist whose love was the field ornithology. He combined his good eye for detail with his business acumen, and with the assistance of his artist wife Elizabeth, secured the services of the eminent lithographers of the day to illustrate the birds of the different regions of the world. Whilst most people have heard of John Gould, many do not know that his wife Elizabeth did most of the early drawings and lithographs - and died after giving birth to their eighth child.. By obtaining wealthy subscribers prior to each venture, John Gould was able to publish series of superb hand-coloured lithographs that have not been surpassed to this day.