Antique Bird Print of the female Northern Pintail by Sepp & Nozeman (1789)

Description: Antique print titled 'Anas Acuta, Foemina'. This print depicts the female Northern Pintail with egg (Dutch: Pijlstaart). The pintail or northern pintail (Anas acuta) is a duck with wide geographic distribution that breeds in the northern areas of Europe, Asia and North America. It is migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator. Unusually for a bird with such a large range, it has no geographical subspecies if the possibly conspecific duck Eaton's pintail is considered to be a separate species.

This print originates from 'Nederlandsche Vogelen; volgens hunne huisdouding, aert, en eigenschappen beschreeven", Amsterdam, 1770-1829 by C. Nozeman, M. Houttuyn and J.C. Sepp. This is the most important and first study in the Netherlands of ornithology at that time. The birds are depicted as they are in life, said to be depicted close to life sized and in their environment.

Artists and engravers: This monumental work is associated with Christiaan Andreas Sepp, Jan Christiaan Sepp, Jan Sepp, Cornelis Nozeman, Martinus Houttuyn and Coenraad Jacob Temminck.