**Originally Listed At $650**

John Gould (British, 1804-1881). "LAGOPUS MUTUS Summer Plumage" - an original hand-colored lithograph of Rock Ptarmigans - Plate 9 from Volume IV of John Gould's "The Birds of Great Britain" published 1862-1873. Colored by hand after J. Wolf and H.C. Richter & printed by Walter & Cohn. This multi volume masterpiece is testament to Gould's lifelong work in the natural world as well as his immense knowledge expressed through avian art. The lithograph is mounted in a custom mat and wood frame under glass- artistically designed with carefully selected, museum-quality materials. The delightful birds are an entire family of Rock Ptarmigans (Lagopus mutas) - the alert father in the foreground and the mother nestled with her chicks, perhaps freshly hatched as suggested by the eggshells. Note the distinctive feathered toes on the chicks and male that acted like snowshoes - this detail is a clue towards the meaning of their genus name: "Lagopus" is Greek for "hare feet." Size of print: 20" W x 14.25" H (50.8 cm x 36.2 cm); of fame: 31" W x 25.25" H (78.7 cm x 64.1 cm)

As stated, "The Birds of Great Britain" is regarded as John Gould's masterpiece, and according to R. Bowdler Sharpe, "Such beautiful illustrations as those of the Birds of Great Britain scarcely existed before and are not likely to be surpassed." One thing we noticed when looking at these illustrations, are the little details that capture not only the bird's physical traits, but also behaviors and environment.

Please note, all of Gould's illustrations were meticulously hand colored like this example. In the preface of "The Birds of Great Britain" Gould states, "Many of the public are quite unaware how the colouring of these large plates is accomplished; and not a few believe that they are produced by some mechanical process or by chromo-lithography. This, however, is not the case; every sky with its varied tints and every feather of each bird were coloured by hand; and when it is considered that nearly two hundred and eighty thousand illustrations in the present work have been so treated, it will most likely cause some astonishment to those who give the subject a thought".

John Gould was an ornithologist, a self-taught artist, as well as a naturalist. From 1818 to 1824, Gould was a gardener working under his father in the Royal Gardens of Windsor, where he began creating illustrations. In time, he became an accomplished taxidermist, opening his own practice in London in 1824. In 1827, Gould became the first Curator and Preserver at the museum of the Zoological Society of London. His interest in birds kept developing, and in 1830 he published "A Century of Birds From the Himalaya Mountains" - his first volume on birds. For the next fifty years, Gould, his wife Elizabeth, and several other artist collaborators sojourned throughout the world to depict and describe hundreds of avian species in their natural environs. During his lifetime, Gould was respected as a leading ornithological authority. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1843. The finest ornithological artists of the day worked for and also collaborated with Gould. These included Edward Lear, W. M. Hart, Joseph Wolf, and H. C. Richter.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; Private collection of a Private Colorado Family

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#184071

This is an originial antique, hand-colored lithograph. It is not a later reproduction. It is mounted in a custom, museum-quality frame behind glass. Not examined outside of the frame, but appears to be excellent condiotion with bright colors and only minor foxing (minor and faint spotting). Framing is of an impressive design, made with carefully selected, museum-quality molding and materials, and a suspension wire. Ready to display!