Antique Natural HistoryOriginal plates from the naturalists' books, 1600s to 1900s
The Large Green Parrot of The West Indies Hand-Colored and Engraved, 1749
The Large Green Parrot of The West Indies Hand-Colored and Engraved, 1749, view 2

Close-ups

The Large Green Parrot of The West Indies Hand-Colored and Engraved, 1749, close-up 1The Large Green Parrot of The West Indies Hand-Colored and Engraved, 1749, close-up 2The Large Green Parrot of The West Indies Hand-Colored and Engraved, 1749, close-up 3The Large Green Parrot of The West Indies Hand-Colored and Engraved, 1749, close-up 4The Large Green Parrot of The West Indies Hand-Colored and Engraved, 1749, close-up 5

Framed and on the wall

The Large Green Parrot of The West Indies Hand-Colored and Engraved, 1749, shown framedThe Large Green Parrot of The West Indies Hand-Colored and Engraved, 1749, shown framed on a wallThe Large Green Parrot of The West Indies Hand-Colored and Engraved, 1749, shown framed in a room

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

The Large Green Parrot of The West Indies Hand-Colored and Engraved, 1749

€590 ($665, £500, €590)

Period original, not a reproduction.

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Date
1749
Size
14.6 × 9.8 in (37 × 25 cm)
Condition
Good. Good condition with the original hand coloring still very vivid and vibrant. The paper is chain-lined with strong plate marks and watermark. General age related toning and minor foxing. Study the images carefully.
Period
18th century
Section
Birds
Reference
f_38314442

The large green parrot of the West Indies, an original hand-colored copper engraving from Johann Michael Seligmann's bird series, published in Nuremberg in 1749. The plate is lettered "Der grosse grüne Papagey aus West-Indien" at the top, with "Tab. LVII." at the upper right, and the Latin and French names at the foot: "Psittacus viridis major, Occidentalis" and "Le Grand Perroquet Verd des Indes Occidentales."

The parrot sits upright on a gnarled branch, turned to the left. Its plumage is green with yellow edging on the breast feathers, a flush of orange at the throat and shoulder, a bluish patch at the face, and red and blue touches on the wing and tail. Grasses and low plants grow at the foot of the branch, with a few dry twigs rising behind.

The credits below the image read "G. Edwards ad vivum delin." (drawn from life by George Edwards), "J.M. Seligmann excudit" and a line for the engraver, Johann Sebastian Leitner, with the imperial privilege "Cum Priv. Sac. Caes. Majestatis" printed between. The plate follows Edwards, the English naturalist whose drawings Seligmann reissued for continental readers.