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Over 3,000 historic giclee prints, 16 artists and 40 complete sets
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Descourtilz’s first ornithological book, ‘Oiseaux Brillans du Brésil’ (which translates as ‘Brilliant Birds of Brazil’), was published in Paris in 1834.
Incredibly rare, it is illustrated with 60 folio hand-colored lithographs with most plates showing a single species.
According to the Sotheby’s catalog only four copies were thought to exist, with just two containing all 60 plates. This makes it one of the rarest publications detailing the birds of South America. The work contains fifteen different bird species, including one genus which was previously undiscovered.
In the beautiful color illustrations, Descourtilz depicts the birds alongside the plants and trees that feed and shelter the birds. By combining his talent as a painter with his exceptional knowledge of bird’s habitats, Descourtilz was able to produce wonderful ilustrations.
What makes Descourtilz worth remembering is not just the beauty and coloring of his lithographs, but his sense of composition. He seems to have realized independently of Elizabeth Gould that a bird should be represented in its natural habitat, feeding on the fruits and seeds that it consumes in real life. Descourtilz painted flowers and trees as skillfully as he did birds, and each plate is a tiny microcosm of the Neotropics.
As so few copies were ever produced, it is thought that Descourtilz himself colored each plate in the collection.
Taken from the original copies held in the libraries of Teylers Museum in the Netherlands, our collection of ‘Brilliant Birds of Brazil’ contains all 60 color plates.
Over 3,000 historic giclee prints, 16 artists and 40 complete sets
We are more than happy to help. Just send us a message, and we will be in touch
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