Australian Red-Eyebrowed Finch. John Gould Estrelda temporalis c1848.

by Gould, John

John Gould Estrelda temporalis Bird of Australia antique print. Now Neochmia temporalis, the very pretty red-browed finch is one of the few small Australian birds that are undaunted by human proximity. We can vouch for this as they regularly enjoy our veranda bird bath and the wild bird seed that we sprinkle on the railing.

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

John Gould was a dedicated ornithologist who was an astute businessman, and obtained wealthy subscribers to enable him to publish magnificent illustrations on the birds of different regions of the world. He knew his limitations as an artist, and employed lithographers whose work he monitored closely. His artist wife Elizabeth Gould (1804-1841) had been taught lithography by bird artist Edward Lear, and greatly assisted her husband in the drawings and lithography for around 600 large hand-coloured lithographs of birds. She came to Australia and, with her older children, stayed in Tasmania with her sister-in-law, and composed many of the drawings from the birds that her husband collected. She died of overwork, following the birth of their eighth child after their return to England..

We provide a close-up of this very pretty lithograph. It is in good condition, with beautiful hand-colour, much nicer than the scanned image. The size, as published, is  535 x 370 mm (21 x 14.5 inches).