Antique Natural HistoryOriginal plates from the naturalists' books, 1600s to 1900s
Birds Nest and Eggs of the Eurasian Bittern or Great Bittern, 1770
Birds Nest and Eggs of the Eurasian Bittern or Great Bittern, 1770, view 2

Close-ups

Birds Nest and Eggs of the Eurasian Bittern or Great Bittern, 1770, close-up 1Birds Nest and Eggs of the Eurasian Bittern or Great Bittern, 1770, close-up 2

Framed and on the wall

Birds Nest and Eggs of the Eurasian Bittern or Great Bittern, 1770, shown framedBirds Nest and Eggs of the Eurasian Bittern or Great Bittern, 1770, shown framed on a wallBirds Nest and Eggs of the Eurasian Bittern or Great Bittern, 1770, shown framed in a room

Frame and rooms are illustrations of how the print could look; the description says what is included.

Birds Nest and Eggs of the Eurasian Bittern or Great Bittern, 1770

€428 ($480, £365, €428)

Period original, not a reproduction.

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Shipped from the Netherlands, flat, insured and tracked, worldwide. Returns accepted within 14 days.

Date
1770
Size
14.6 × 20.9 in (37 × 53 cm)
Condition
Very good. General age-related toning. Please study image carefully.
Period
18th century
Section
Birds
Reference
f_27059342

Antique print titled 'Nidus Ardeae Stellaris'.

Birds nest and eggs of the Eurasian Bittern or Great Bittern (Dutch: Roerdomp).

The Eurasian bittern or great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a wading bird in the bittern subfamily (Botaurinae) of the heron family Ardeidae. There are two subspecies, the northern race (B. s. stellaris) breeding in parts of Europe and Asia, as well as on the northern coast of Africa, while the southern race (B. s. capensis) is endemic to parts of southern Africa. It is a secretive bird, seldom seen in the open as it prefers to skulk in reed beds and thick vegetation near water bodies. Its presence is apparent in the spring, when the booming call of the male during the breeding season can be heard. It feeds on fish, small mammals, fledgling birds, amphibians, crustaceans and insects.

This print originates from 'Nederlandsche Vogelen; volgens hunne huisdouding, aert, en eigenschappen beschreeven", Amsterdam, 1770-1829 by C. Nozeman, M. Houttuyn and J.C. Sepp. This is the most important and first study in the Netherlands of ornithology at that time. The birds are depicted as they are in life, said to be depicted close to life sized and in their environment.

Artists and engravers: This monumental work is associated with Christiaan Andreas Sepp, Jan Christiaan Sepp, Jan Sepp, Cornelis Nozeman, Martinus Houttuyn and Coenraad Jacob Temminck.