Bargain Lizars, Chestnut-shouldered Pigeon. Columba Spadicea antique print c1843

by Lizars, William Home

Tongan Pigeon first recorded in the "Friendly Islands".

Beautiful hand-coloured steel engraving by William Home Lizars (1788-1859) after great bird artist and scientific illustrator for the Zoological Society in London, Edward Lear (1812-1888), for Sir William Jardine’s Naturalist’s Library Ornithology, Pigeons, engraved and printed in Edinburgh c.1843 by W.H. Lizars.

Lizars engraved between 30 and 40 plates from drawings by leading naturalists for each of the 40 works of Sir William Jardine's Naturalist's Library, a series comprising all kinds of fauna.  WH Lizars engraved some of the most exquisitely detailed and superbly hand-coloured miniature wildlife portraits ever done. Son of artist, engraver, publisher Daniel Lizars (1754-1812) and brother of anatomist John Lizars (c1787-1860), William was a pupil of engraver Andrew Bell (1726-1809). Sir William Jardine, (1800-1874) was a Scottish naturalist who was particularly keen on Ornithology. He was also keen on Lizar's sister, Jane Home Lizars, whom he married.

Page size is 92 x 162mm (3 5/8 x 6 3/8 inches). Unfortubnately, there are