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Keulemans lithograph, Cinnyris Coquerelli Sunbirds of Mayotte Island c1878.

Keulemans lithograph, Cinnyris Coquerelli Sunbirds of Mayotte Island c1878.

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by Keulemans, John Gerrard

Beautiful little sunbirds lithograph by J.G. Keulemans, c1878. These lovely little sunbirds are only found on Mayotte Island, one of the Comoro group of islands between South Africa and Madagascar.

Signed JGK, this is a beautiful original hand-coloured lithograph by eminent bird illustrator and naturalist John Gerrard Keulemans (1842-1912) for A Monograph of the Nectariniidae, or, Family of Sunbirds by George Ernest Shelley (1840-1910), published in London between 1876 and 1880.

Keulemans' skill in the art of lithography is evident in his hand-coloured lithographs for this rarely-seen publication. In 1869 fellow ornithologist and colleague of John Gould, Richard Bowdler-Sharp persuaded the well-travelled Dutchman, who signed his lithographs JGK, to move from Brussels to London, the most important centre during the late 19th century for grand hand-coloured publications illustrating flora and fauna. Keulemans had a thorough scientific training in the illustration of birds and was one of the finest exponents, mainly through the maximum fluidity of representation by lithography.

Page size: 318 x 247mm (12.1/2 x 9.3/4 inches), in fine condition, except for a few tiny spots.

Stock Number: apJGK243Price: $400.00