Hummingbirds, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944

Hummingbirds print after Descourtilz, Estampa 24 in the 1944 Ornitologia Brasileira, a limited Brazilian edition of Jean-Théodore Descourtilz's bird paintings, printed in color by offset.

A flowering, fruiting branch carries a gathering of small birds, together with a praying mantis and a fly drawn among them for scale and incident. At upper right, a bird shown in flight, its wings blurred to suggest rapid motion, has a rose-pink throat and gray body, hovering beside the branch in the manner of a hummingbird taking nectar. At upper left, a small bird with a head patterned in yellow and black perches near a cluster of pale berries hanging from a twining vine. At the center of the plate, a striking bird hangs head-down from the branch, its crown and nape raised into a broad, fully spread frill of orange feathers barred in black, its tail long and rufous-brown, its bill straight and dark; this bird's ornamented crest is the most visually arresting feature of the whole sheet. Lower and to the right, a smaller bird with an olive-green crown, a pale eyebrow stripe and a yellow throat perches quietly, while at the bottom a bird with a head boldly striped in black and white and a yellow underside sits near the tip of a green twig, close to the small fly.

Livraria Kosmos Editora published the Ornitologia Brasileira ou História Natural das Aves do Brasil, notáveis por sua plumagem, canto e hábitos in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in 1944. This first Portuguese edition, translated by Eurico Santos from the French original of the 1850s, was limited to 1,315 copies (1,000 plus 315 numbered). All 48 plates are color offset prints of Descourtilz's paintings of Brazilian birds, each captioned "Estampa" with its number on a toned card within a printed green ornamental border.

Jean-Théodore Descourtilz (circa 1796 to 1855) was a French painter and naturalist who traveled to Brazil in the late 1820s and devoted himself to painting its birds; his first work on the birds of Brazil appeared in 1834.

Strong in color and suitable for framing, this hummingbirds print after Descourtilz would make a handsome addition to a collection of ornithology prints or a colorful focal point for a library or garden room.

This plate is in good condition for its age. The mount shows ordinary age toning, with a few small spots, small nicks to the lower edge near the right corner and light edge wear. Please review the images for further condition details.

This is an original print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.