Antique Natural HistoryOriginal plates from the naturalists' books, 1600s to 1900s
Hyacinth Macaw, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944
Hyacinth Macaw, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944, view 2
Hyacinth Macaw, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944, view 3
Hyacinth Macaw, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944, view 4

Framed and on the wall

Hyacinth Macaw, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944, shown framedHyacinth Macaw, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944, shown framed on a wallHyacinth Macaw, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944, shown framed in a room

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

Hyacinth Macaw, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944

$315 (£235, €280)

Period original, not a reproduction.

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

Date
1944
Technique
Other
Coloring
Printed color
Condition
Good. Good condition for its age. The mount is toned with a few small spots, a small nick to the left edge near the upper corner and light edge wear; a few tiny specks to the image panel. Please review the images for further condition details.
Period
20th century
Section
Birds
Reference
BG-14389-1-8
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.

Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.

Hyacinth macaw print after Descourtilz from the 1944 Ornitologia Brasileira: Estampa 8, a color offset print of Brazilian birds reproducing a painting by Jean-Théodore Descourtilz.

A single large macaw occupies the plate, its plumage an unbroken deep cobalt blue from crown to tail, relieved only by two patches of bright bare yellow skin, a narrow ring around the eye and a fuller patch at the base of the heavy, sharply hooked black bill. The bird is shown in profile, gripping a bare branch with dark gray feet, its very long tail hanging well below the perch and tapering to a point. No foliage, fruit or second bird accompanies it; the composition is left deliberately spare, letting the strong blue of the plumage carry the plate.

The plate comes from the Ornitologia Brasileira ou História Natural das Aves do Brasil, notáveis por sua plumagem, canto e hábitos, issued in 1944 by Livraria Kosmos Editora of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. First published in French in the 1850s, the work appeared here in its first Portuguese edition, translated by Eurico Santos and limited to 1,315 copies, 1,000 plus 315 numbered. Each of its 48 color offset plates is captioned "Estampa" with its number and mounted on a toned card with a printed green ornamental border.

Descourtilz, a French painter and naturalist who lived from circa 1796 to 1855, 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.

This hyacinth macaw print after Descourtilz is decorative and strong in color, and works well framed on its own in a study or hallway or hung with other Brazilian bird prints from the same volume.

This plate is in good condition for its age. The mount shows ordinary age toning, with a few small spots, a small nick to the left edge near the upper corner and light edge wear; there are a few tiny specks on the image panel. 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.

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