Antique Bird Print of the Black Grouse by Albin (c.1738)

Description: Antique bird print titled 'Tetrao seu Urogallus minor'. Old bird print of the black grouse. The black grouse or blackgame or blackcock (Lyrurus tetrix) is a large game bird in the grouse family. It is a sedentary species, breeding across the Palearctic in moorland and bog areas near to woodland, mostly boreal. The black grouse is closely related to the Caucasian grouse. This print originates from 'The Natural History of Birds' by E. Albin. This is the rarest and most highly prized of Albin’s works as it was hand coloured entirely by Albin and his daughter, Elizabeth. There were only 89 sets published. 

Artists and Engravers: Eleazar Albin was a German professional painter who settled in England in 1707, where he married and raised a family, changing his name from Weiss to Albin. He illustrated works on insects and spiders, earning his living by making watercolors of the collections of wealthy patrons, including Sir Hans Sloane, whose collection founded the British Museum. His work on birds was done late in his life & was the first large English work on ornithology, hand-colored by Albin and his daughter Elizabeth & published initially in London from 1731-1738.