Tanagers and Woodcreepers, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944

Tanagers and woodcreepers print after Descourtilz, dated 1944 and issued as Estampa 35 of the Ornitologia Brasileira, a color offset print from Jean-Théodore Descourtilz's paintings of Brazilian birds.

Four birds share a branch of a berry-bearing shrub, its slender red stems hung with small dark fruit in the manner of a pokeweed. At the top, a bird with a blue-gray head, a back finely speckled in black and white, and a buff-yellow belly perches near the tip of a leaf. Below and to the right, a second bird shows a red head, a black body and a patch of orange-yellow at the wing, its blue-gray belly visible as it bends toward a cluster of berries. To the left, a third bird with an orange head and breast and a wing patterned in black and green perches with its bill raised. At the bottom of the plate, a fourth and especially striking bird has a bright red head and crest, a clean white breast and belly, and wings and back in solid black, perched upright on the main stem. The berries, rendered in small clusters of dark red on fine red stalks, run the length of the branch and link the four birds into a single continuous design.

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 tanagers and woodcreepers 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 chip with a short split to the lower edge 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.