John Gould Pachycephala brunnea, Brown Thickhead hand-coloured lithograph c1880

by Gould, John

Pachycephala brunnea, John Gould Thickheads antique print.

Original hand-coloured lithograph by William Hart for John Gould's Birds of New Guinea and the Adjacent Papuan Islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia published in London between 1875 and 1888.

Known as 'The Bird Man', John Gould (1804-1881) 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, so employed the finest lithographers and closely monitored their work. He was also an astute business man and obtained subscribers to each of his grand publications to assist with his finances. After Gould's death, publication of his final works were completed by Gould's friend, ornithologist Richard Bowdler-Sharpe who was in charge of the bird collection at the British Museum.

 This is a very pretty Gould bird lithograph. A burn mark at 495 x 342 is evidence of previous non-conservation framing which would be covered when framed. The size, as published, is 535 mm x 370 mm (21 inches x 14.5 inches).