This wonderful lithograph of a Forsten's Pitta (Pitta forsteni) is from John Gould's The Birds of New Guinea, and the Adjacent Papuan Islands 1875-88. This plate is number 30 from volume 4 of this work and was drawn and lithographed by John Gould & W Hart.Originally intended as an overspill of Birds of Australia, this series of prints grew rapidly into a lavish work. While it could be true to say that the parrots were the stars of the earlier publication, here it is the birds of paradise, who made their first appearance. However, among the other magnificent species are the brightly coloured pittas and kingfishers.Gould died before he could commence work on the project, but Henry Sotheran Ltd published it from 1875-88, with text by Dr Richard Bowdler-Sharpe. Size: Approximately 22in x 15in (52cm x 36cm)

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