A Group of six Parrots

From Levaillant's Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets, which is considered the most comprehensive and complete catalogue on the subject.

This magnificent work includes some of the most lively and colourful bird illustrations ever created. They capture not only the defining characteristics of the species, but also the charming personality of the individual bird.

Jacques Barraband achieved great artistic notoriety for his work at the Gobelin tapestry works, the Sevres porcelain factory, and the palace of St. Cloud before coming to work for the French naturalist Francois Levaillant in the early years of the nineteenth century. Barraband collaborated with Louis Bouquet and Langlois to create the engravings for this work. The plates were carefully inked a la poupee with brilliant colours and pulled from the press. Nuances were then added by hand.

In his work, Barraband often shows his subject in profile perched on a short tree branch. No other artist equalled his mastery in rendering of feathers, in evoking their fragility, stiffness or incredible lightness. He displays a preference for harmonies of blues and greens, and reds and yellows. The evocative power of these realistic and precise bird renderings, that feature all the colours of the rainbow, is striking.