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Framed and on the wall
Frame and rooms are illustrations of how the print could look; the description says what is included.
Parrot Crossbill on a Broken Branch, Antique Bird Print, Morris, 1896
£65 ($85, €75)
Period original, not a reproduction.
Shipped from the Netherlands, flat or rolled, insured and tracked, worldwide. Returns accepted within 14 days.
- Date
- 1896
- Technique
- Wood Engraving
- Coloring
- Hand colored
- Condition
- Good. Even age toning. Handling soiling along all four edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Slight wear at the top left corner.
- Period
- Late 19th century
- Artist or book
- F. O. Morris
- Section
- Birds
- Reference
- BG-11586-2
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.
An original wood engraved bird plate, colored by hand, captioned "PARROT CROSSBILL." A single heavy billed crossbill perches on a stout broken branch at the lower right, its body angled toward the right and its head tilted back so that the bill points up and to the right. The crown and back are brick red with darker flecks, the face and breast salmon pink, the wings dark brown with neat scalloped edges, and the forked tail, also brown, hangs to the lower left. The massive bill is pale horn with crossed tips. A second broken stub with a thin twig rises behind the bird at the upper left; both branches are washed in light green.
The caption "PARROT CROSSBILL." is engraved in capitals below the picture, with a full stop. No plate number or engraver's credit appears on the plate. The Parrot Crossbill is Loxia pytyopsittacus, and the deep, strongly hooked bill that gives it its name is the dominant feature of the drawing.
The plate comes from the fourth edition of A History of British Birds by the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris (1810 to 1893), rector of Nunburnholme in Yorkshire. This edition was issued in six volumes by John C. Nimmo, London, and the plate belongs to the third volume, whose title page is dated 1896 and states that the plates are colored by hand. The wood blocks for the plates of the work were engraved by Benjamin Fawcett (1808 to 1893) of Driffield in Yorkshire. Each plate combines an engraved black key block with a printed gray tint, finished by hand in watercolor.
Condition: Even age toning. Handling soiling along all four edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Slight wear at the top left corner.
This is an original antique 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.
