John Gould Filander, Durcopsis Bruni hand-coloured lithograph c1863

$2,200.00

John Gould mammal antique print. Filander or Philander = friend of man.

Original hand-coloured lithograph of Gould Kangaroo, by Henry Constantine Richter from a drawing by John Gould (after an earlier study of a lovely filander seen in Papua New Guinea), for Mammals of Australia published in London between 1845 and 1863 by John Gould (1804-1881). There were only 175 individually hand-coloured lithographs of each of the 182 different studies of Australian Mammals by John Gould (1804-1881).

Gould devoted the last 50 years of his life to illustrating the birds of the world, and sketched both mammals and birds in their habitats. He was greatly assisted by his wife Elizabeth Gould (1804-1841), who remained in Tasmania with their oldest son and refined her husband's sketches for lithographs that were made after their return to England. John Gould had arranged for his artist wife, Elizabeth Gould, to be taught lithography by Edward Lear, a scientific artist at the Zoological Gardens in London where John Gould was head keeper and preserver of fauna. Elizabeth Gould completed over 600 large lithographs for her husband's grand publications. Edeard Lear completed the lithographs that were unfinished when Elizabeth died at the age of 41 after the birth of their eighth child after returning from Australia.

In fine condition, with descriptive text. 53cm x 37cm (approx. 21 x 14.5 inches).