This engraving is from the first edition of Oiseaux dorés ou a reflets métalliques by Jean Baptiste Audebert and Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot.?Published by Desray, Paris 1802. Only 100 copies of the first edition small folio were ever issued. The hummingbirds (colibris and oiseaux-mouches) are treated most thoroughly. The colours of the birds and their handsome appearance have evidently been the cause of their selection for inclusion in the book. The plates with the bird portraits are in beautiful colours; in this respect they are among the best colour prints found in ornithology. The plates were etched by Audebert after his own designs and those of "les plus habiles artistes de Paris," with the assistance of Louis Bouquet in colouring the plates and of Langlois in printing them in oil colours. Audebert died before he was able to complete his great work, finishing only the section on the colibris, after which it was continued by Vieillot on the basis of Audebert's drawings and his notes on the oiseaux-mouches. Size: 13in x 18.5in (31cm x 44cm)

The print is in excellent condition with occasional spotting on thick, high quality paper. Please inspect the image carefully