Antique hand-colored bird print of a Black-crowned Night-Heron by Selby-image
Antique hand-colored bird print of a Black-crowned Night-Heron by Selby-image

Antique hand-colored bird print of a Black-crowned Night-Heron by Selby

$ 237.6

Region of Origin: Scotland Seller Notes: “Excellent condition” Size: Large Artist: Prideaux John Selby Theme: Animals Culture: British Time Period Produced: 19th century Material: Paper Country of Origin: United Kingdom Style: Realism Original/Licensed Reprint: Original Subject: Birds Production Technique: hand-colored print Year of Production: 1825 Features: lovely hand-coloring Type: Print

Description

Prideaux John Selby Antique Hand-colored Bird Print Selby was a wealthy, well-educated resident of Scotland profoundly interested in birds, and a fine painter of birds, with whom John J. Audubon stayed for a bit while Audubon was in the British Isles promoting his great project. Unlike Audubon, Selby could afford to self-fund his major publication, Illustrations of British Ornithology, which came out in parts from 1821 and 1834, so contemporary with Audubon. Selby learned to engrave and etch copper plates himself for his oversize prints, their hand-coloring arranged by Selby’s printer, Lizard in Edinburgh. Some of the plates were engraved by a relative of Selby’s, Richard Mitford, also superb at it. Selby, as Audubon, wanted his birds to appear life size, and the level of detail in Selby’s large prints is amazing. These superb prints are little known in the U.S. as not a great many were ever made, and Selby had few subcribers here. We think the verisimilitude of Selby’s birds is remarkable. Framed, these very large prints make beautiful and quite impressive displays. Using the same superb paper-maker as Audubon, Selby’s prints are also watermarked “Whatman” and with a date; well cared for, they will last the generations. As usual, prints of the larger birds (the only ones we’ll offer) are considerably more impressive than Selby prints of the little ones. These superb prints are still quite affordable. A Black-crowned Night-Heron with our acid-free mat. Print size is ca. 21 1/8” wide x 25 7/8” tall. On the upper right “VII”(7) indicates the print’s number, and a printed “S J Selby 1825” appears just below foliage on the lower right, indicating we think that Selby himself engraved the copper plate. In excellent general condition, there is some light speckling that shows little at a distance, ditto a small indentation on the upper right side, not on the image. Shipped in a tube. $450 .00

  1. Beautiful vintage print, mailed in a safe envelope to allow no bending. Seller’s communication was pleasant. Would shop again!

    Florentde3a0

  2. Looks exactly as pictured. Came extremely fast. Packaged with care. Value was exactly right.

    user21867010

  3. Very nice, as described. Seller was easy to work with. Thanks!

    Yasin Mowlavezada

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