John Gould Australian Red-Throated Pachycephala Rufogularis (Red-lored Whistler) c1848.

$220.00

John Gould antique print of Australian Red-throated Whistler, or Red-lored Whistler.

Original hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter for Gould's The Birds of Australia, the largest series of antique prints of Australian birds ever, published by John Gould in London between 1840 and 1848.

John Gould (1804-1881) was known as 'The Bird Man'. He devoted his life to the study of birds, and came to Australia with his wife and assistants to be able to see the birds in their natural habitats. The superb hand-coloured lithographs for The Birds of Australia are some of the finest illustrations of Australian birds ever done. 

Gould was a shrewd businessman as well as a naturalist who had a fine eye for detail. He obtained subscribers to enable the production of the grandest illustrations, but knew his limitations as an artist. He employed the best lithographers of birds, paid them well, and supervised them closely. His wife, artist Elizabeth (Coxen) Gould (1804-1841) studied lithography with the great parrot artist Edward Lear, who worked with Gould at the British Museum. Elizabeth Gould remained in Tasmania with her oldest child, and gave birth to their youngest child while there. She also re-worked Gould's sketches of birds in their habitats, for lithographs to be made after their return to England. Elizabeth Gould also lithographed over 600 large lithographs for her husband's publications – until she died at the age of 37, following the birth of their eighth child.

There are a few foxing spots at lower left of the birds in this lithograph, and the price has been adjusted accordingly. It is still a lovely study of birds among the foliage and flowers. Page size is 535 x 370 mm (21 x 14.5 inches).