John Gould Chrysococcyx Lucidus, Shining Cuckoo, Australian bird print

$45.00

John Gould Australian Shining Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx Lucidus reproduction print, published by Lansdowne Press in 1974 and limited to 500 copies, reproduced from a hand-coloured lithograph by Henry Constantine Richter after the drawing by John Gould for Gould's Birds of Australia published in London between 1840 and 1848.

John Gould (1804-1881), known as "the Bird Man", was a naturalist whose love was the field ornithology. He combined his good eye for detail with his business acumen, and with the assistance of his artist wife Elizabeth and a select few other lithographers of the day, illustrated the birds of different regions of the world. Whilst most people have heard of John Gould, many do not know that his wife Elizabeth prepared and lithographed over 600 works from notations and sketches by her husband. She died in 1841 after the birth of their eighth child following their return from Australia. By obtaining wealthy subscribers prior to each venture, John Gould was able to publish this series of superb bird illustrations that have not been surpassed to this day.

Image size, as originally published, 30 x 37cm (21 x  14.5 inches).