This impressive lithograph from John Gould's work, The Birds of Europe.

From the first edition of Gould's first multi-volume ornithological work, The Birds of Europe, and the first of his works to feature plates by Edward Lear: one of the greatest ornithological artists of all time. Lear's contributions included the most eye-catching subjects in the book: eagles, owls, cranes, pelicans, geese, swans, and flamingos.

Lear's plates are from bird drawings that 'are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, [for] it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm' (Hyman). 'Lear's participation transformed the work of Mrs. Gould.... [H]e propelled her limited sense of perspective into the third dimension. He encouraged movement, vigor, and a sense of character in her birds; he instilled an idea of composition in which the subject related to its background instead of perching in midair like a cardboard cutout. He introduced a sense of subtlety and freedom into her drawings where previously she had only mimicked the technique used in etching or engraving. There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that made the works of Gould into a success and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration' (Tree).

Original hand-coloured lithograph; print size: 52.5cm x 32.5cm, framed and glazed, overall size: 61 cm x 43 cm.