
Close-ups
Framed and on the wall
Frame and rooms are illustrations of how the print could look; the description says what is included.
Thrush Nightingale on a Mossy Branch, Antique Morris Bird Print, 1896
$105 (£80, €95)
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 the bottom, left and right edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. Slight wear at the bottom left and top right corners.
- Period
- Late 19th century
- Artist or book
- F. O. Morris
- Section
- Birds
- Reference
- BG-11586-38
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.
This is an original wood engraved bird plate, colored by hand, captioned "THRUSH NIGHTINGALE." A single bird stands on a thick branch washed green and pink, facing left, with its long brown tail raised to the upper right. It is olive brown above, with a darker brown wing, a whitish throat and a pale breast and flanks spotted with soft brown. The bill is yellow at the base and the legs are pinkish. A twig with rounded, toothed leaves in pale blue green and olive springs from the branch above the bird's back and again below its tail.
The caption "THRUSH NIGHTINGALE." is engraved in capitals in the lower margin. There is no number or other lettering above the picture, and no engraver's credit can be read within it. The Thrush Nightingale is Luscinia luscinia.
A History of British Birds was written by the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris (1810 to 1893), rector of Nunburnholme in Yorkshire. The wood blocks for the plates of the work were engraved by Benjamin Fawcett (1808 to 1893) of Driffield in Yorkshire. This plate comes from the fourth edition, issued in six volumes by John C. Nimmo of London, and belongs to the third volume, whose title page is dated 1896 and states that the plates are colored by hand. 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 the bottom, left and right edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. Slight wear at the bottom left and top right corners.
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.













